Go West, Young Man
A Father and Son Rediscover America on the Oregon Trail
by B.J. Hollars
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Pub Date Sep 01 2021 | Archive Date Sep 01 2021
University of Nebraska Press | Bison Books
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Description
At the sound of the bell on the last day of kindergarten, B.J. Hollars and his six-year-old son, Henry, hop in the car to strike out on a 2,500-mile road trip retracing the Oregon Trail. Their mission: to rediscover America, and Americans, along the way. Throughout their two-week adventure, they endure the usual setbacks (car trouble, inclement weather, and father-son fatigue), but their most compelling drama involves people, privilege, and their attempt to find common ground in an all-too-fractured country.
Writing in the footsteps of John Steinbeck’s Travels with Charley, Hollars picks up the trail with his son more than half a century later. Together they sidle up to a stool at every truck stop, camp by every creek, and roam the West. They encounter not only the beauty and heartbreak of America, but also the beauty and heartbreak of a father and son eager to make the most of their time together. From Chimney Rock to Independence Rock to the rocky coast of Oregon, they learn and relearn the devastating truth of America’s exploitative past, as well as their role within it.
Go West, Young Man recounts the author’s effort to teach his son the difficult realities of our nation’s founding while also reaffirming his faith in America today.
Advance Praise
“Hollars resists easy ideas and easy answers, but the insights that he does reach are presented effectively and compellingly. . . . Go West, Young Man asks big questions about the multiplicity of American identities and narratives, and offers us a view toward how a father and son can answer them.”—Colin Rafferty, author of Execute the Office and Hallow This Ground
“The Oregon Trail was once firmly woven into America’s idea of itself due in part to chroniclers like Francis Parkman, who lit out in 1846 with horse and mule cart ‘on a tour of curiosity and amusement.’ More than a century and a half later, B.J. Hollars and his six-year-old son embark in a rented vehicle along the same westward route and with the same intention. In this mock adventure, father and son endure prairie swales and cyclonic winds, KOAs and interpretive centers, and self-inflicted dad jokes—all to answer this country’s most enduring question: Who are we?”—John Hildebrand, author of Long Way Round: Through the Heartland by River
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781496225900 |
| PRICE | $19.95 (USD) |
| PAGES | 264 |
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