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Fearless Puppy on American Road
Fearlessness begins when the author is 15 years old, hitchhiking away from a drug-dealing adolescence in Brooklyn. True stories from Doug Rose's 35 years on the road encountering heavenly Hells Angels, oxygen orgasms, transcendent Buddhist wisdom, lesbian musicians playing a rock concert for the deaf, martial artists battling Neo-Nazis, a modern-day Robin Hood, and other unforgettable events. Wisdom woven throughout hilarious adventure.
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First published January 11, 2008
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21 people want to read
About the author
Doug "Ten" Rose
3 books10 followersDoug "Ten" Rose is the author of two books--Fearless Puppy on American Road, and the soon to be released Reincarnation Through Common Sense. He has organized charity projects involving governors, senators, rock stars, and major league sports teams. "Ten" has also been a heroin addict and drug dealer, worked as a juvenile and psychiatric outpatient counselor, in factories, construction, and environmental outreach. He is a health food enthusiast who smokes ganja every day. His psychic vehicle runs on a rare blend of rocket fuel, transfictional ether, and a strong desire to help humanity pull its head out of its own ass. ALL author profits from book sales are donated to sponsor Tibetan Monks, Nuns, Lamas, and their causes.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
April 3, 2016
Review copy kindly provided by GR friend Kevin.
This book was yet another unusual reading experience for me. It describes how Doug "Ten" Rose, a native of New York City and a child of the 1960s, hitchhikes his way all over America. Along the way, he has a multitude of adventures and meets many unusual, not to say eccentric people. He writes his story in an easygoing, humorous style that is nonetheless quite serious.
The author places a disclaimer near the beginning of the book, saying that he does not indulge in or condone drug use. In fact, the book gives a detailed and rather frightening description of how deadly it can be. That being said, the culture of the flower children seems to pervade this book to an amazing extent. The author spends a lot of time getting high; moreover, there are chapters where he bounces from one sizzling tryst to another in quick succession.
The book also narrates his gradual discovery of Buddhism. Technically, Buddhism is supposed to be a philosophy, not a religion, and it is deeply concerned with tolerance, non-violence and alleviating the suffering of others. Doug says, in forceful but effective language, "The fact that there are hungry people, homeless people, and orphans pisses me off."* I respect this, because my own religion expresses the same righteous indignation, albeit in different language.
But the drug culture colors the book so heavily that for me it clouds his description of his religious awakening. Early in the book, Doug has what he says must have been a genuine mystical experience. But the early visitation of the supernatural is narrated in such a humorously hallucinogenic sort of way that, in spite of Doug's insistence on its authenticity, it reads more like a dream-sequence in a silly sitcom.
For me, the most interesting aspect of the book is his description of the people who offer him rides, temporary shelter and an abundance of advice. Though a few of them are unpleasant or downright frightening, many of the people he encounters are kindly and helpful individuals who leave their own special mark on his life. Doug "Ten" Rose is, when all is said and done, a man with abounding enthusiasm for good causes and his fellow human beings.
*Doug "Ten" Rose. Fearless Puppy on American Road 2013 Edition (Kindle Location 7091).
This book was yet another unusual reading experience for me. It describes how Doug "Ten" Rose, a native of New York City and a child of the 1960s, hitchhikes his way all over America. Along the way, he has a multitude of adventures and meets many unusual, not to say eccentric people. He writes his story in an easygoing, humorous style that is nonetheless quite serious.
The author places a disclaimer near the beginning of the book, saying that he does not indulge in or condone drug use. In fact, the book gives a detailed and rather frightening description of how deadly it can be. That being said, the culture of the flower children seems to pervade this book to an amazing extent. The author spends a lot of time getting high; moreover, there are chapters where he bounces from one sizzling tryst to another in quick succession.
The book also narrates his gradual discovery of Buddhism. Technically, Buddhism is supposed to be a philosophy, not a religion, and it is deeply concerned with tolerance, non-violence and alleviating the suffering of others. Doug says, in forceful but effective language, "The fact that there are hungry people, homeless people, and orphans pisses me off."* I respect this, because my own religion expresses the same righteous indignation, albeit in different language.
But the drug culture colors the book so heavily that for me it clouds his description of his religious awakening. Early in the book, Doug has what he says must have been a genuine mystical experience. But the early visitation of the supernatural is narrated in such a humorously hallucinogenic sort of way that, in spite of Doug's insistence on its authenticity, it reads more like a dream-sequence in a silly sitcom.
For me, the most interesting aspect of the book is his description of the people who offer him rides, temporary shelter and an abundance of advice. Though a few of them are unpleasant or downright frightening, many of the people he encounters are kindly and helpful individuals who leave their own special mark on his life. Doug "Ten" Rose is, when all is said and done, a man with abounding enthusiasm for good causes and his fellow human beings.
*Doug "Ten" Rose. Fearless Puppy on American Road 2013 Edition (Kindle Location 7091).
November 14, 2013
There are some things in here that, although they sound like spoilers I do not think they have a bearing on the actual story.
This was an amazing book. My first bit of advice, skip the pre-chapters. Save them until later on. This book sat for a week because the pre-chapters were so boring and made no sense to me. I could not read it. But I kept going and am better for the experience of reading this book. I am glad I hung in!
It is about Doug "Ten" Rose. You will find out later how he gets his nickname. It is a great story. One of so many great stories. He is a drug dealer in New York and one day decides he wants something more. So Doug and his girlfriend Mary decide to pack a few things, and just start hitch-hiking.
All of the chapters are encounters of people that picked up a hitch-hiking Doug and Mary. And later on just Doug. This happens early so it is not a spoiler.
A lot of stories were told here in these pages with so many life lessons but without being preachy. Stories about people living in harmony, from Doug and Mary's first stop, and people sharing what they have, as little as it was, with others. Whether tangible or intangible. All the knowledge that Doug's drivers and hosts when he stayed overnight somewhere, was passed on to Doug and was about a way way to live, about people and life.
.
There are discussions on what is wrong with the government, health care, religion, etc. And Doug and Mary are together for about five years. You have to find out why Doug decided to go it alone from there on.
My favorite chapter was Chapter 16 - Preface to a Shortcut to Heaven. Doug talks about how your cravings and aversions distract you from your life. They keep you not fully in the present. For example, if you are a smoker, you are thinking of when your next cigarette is so you cannot fully be in the present. He goes on to explain how this is a problem and uses other examples of focusing too much on good things too! He gives us a lot of great advice one being "Adjust your mentality to the objective and you have found the road".
We learn that everything is important. And in that state of importance all things are equal and impermanent. Our unrealistic attachment to things and situations brings on many dramas and mysteries.
A big theme of the book was to spend time doing things to help yourself, not things that don't. And this includes helping out a fellow human being no matter what.
Doug was very very lucky to have a group of people that not only picked him up from the side of the road, but taught him life lessons. Doug made so many friends, that, in passing through again, he always had a place to stay wherever he went pretty much.
He does talk about his drug use. There is a lot of pot smoking which he feels is okay and for some reason, I believe almost all of his rides partook also. But then, halfway through the book, he did start getting into heavy drugs and almost died. The interesting thing was he had been forewarned by the old man who picked him up. Doug was headed to a city where nothing good comes out of. But drugs and certain death were a bad choice and only through this did he gain enlightenment. He describes of being pulled by fate back from the brink. And has a dream (or a hallucination he is not sure) which is of major significance later on in the book. Be on the look out for it.
Doug started to get into Tibetan teachings. He went to seminars, met the higher ups if you will. People like the Dahli Lama and the teachers that are high up but below the Dahli Lama.
Doug learned he is responsible for his own fate. He learned how to meditate and get that "high" feeling by being cleansed and doing work for others. He was never selfish, but now even more so.
He learned everything passes in and out of existence, but it can be quick like swatting a fly, or the slow melting of a glacier.
He learned change is constant and, on the road it was. he figured out what worked for him and what did not. He learned that he is in control of his life and can write his own script which can turn out anyway he want.
One of my favorite lines was (paraphrasing) Changes of attitude and action changes the resulting effects of attitudes and actions.
Just a note, time is not mentioned often. There is a point in the book that describes a five year period in Doug's Life, and a ten year period, and a 9 year one. I think all of the above was the first five years. But again it is not totally important to the story. Just mentioning the passing of time is mildly irrelevant.
After a chance encounter, Doug started working for Greenpeace. He had some great ideas, he could definitely interact with others, and he cared. He impressed the people high up in the corporation. People loved him and contributed left and right when he went out door to door or business to business to talk about Greenpeace. Doug still never wanted to settle down. You can say he was homeless but always had a place to stay because of the kind of good person he was and the good friends he made. So he continued traveling around and raising money for Greenpeace for about 9 years.
Another favorite line in the book (paraphrased) is that Doug learned humans are NOT on top of the evolutionary ladder because of our disrespect for the importance of harmonious relationships with the rest of the planets inhabitants.
Chapter 46 was also my favorite. Regarding Mr. Hastings and Mr. Isauro.
Doug really found himself into Asian disciplines. Without describing it, I recognized that he was having Reiki performed on him which is very calming and spiritual. He also still went to Buddist teaching conferences when they came to wherever he was residing at at the time. It was like he was supposed to be there to hear the person speak. It is like it was written in stone, there when he needed it.
He continues to travel and the conversations in the car make the book. This all really happened. He was very blessed to be able to read people, and sometimes not get into a car, but for the most part, he mey the nicest kind of people, and to make a ton of friends. Think of this book as a bunch of short stories that link together.
We find as Doug moves on, he settles into a cabin in Vermont. It is a friens's who only uses it once or twice a year but mainly has it for a tax writeoff. So although Doug is on the road now doing even more for the Earth and other humans than Greenpeace (such as feeding hungry children, and homes for families with no home, and other environmental issues facing us today), he is raising money but making money too. Just enough to live on. And when he has run through his states, still hitch-hiking, he has a place to just lay his weary head back at the cabin.
About another 10 years go by and Doug is getting older. He is not the same physically as when he started out. So he takes a class to certify him to teach English as a Second Language.
As the end of the book comes to a draw, Doug has come from a state of being homeless (the man who was letting Doug have the cabin and owned the cabin lost all his money so Doug had nowhere to go) but just at this time, he got this book published and was on a plane to a new place. He said life is like hitch-hiking: Pick a place you want to go, prepare wisely, read your map, hit the road with your eyes open. Great life advice.
The book has a lot of repetition of ideas but you like to hear it again because it is so profound. Simple but profound.
This is a very long book (8000 plus Kindle units) but it is definitely worth it. The lessons I got from here I will never forget. Plus it is entertaining there is never a dull moment with Doug and all of the people he meets and befriends. I recommend this book highly.
This was an amazing book. My first bit of advice, skip the pre-chapters. Save them until later on. This book sat for a week because the pre-chapters were so boring and made no sense to me. I could not read it. But I kept going and am better for the experience of reading this book. I am glad I hung in!
It is about Doug "Ten" Rose. You will find out later how he gets his nickname. It is a great story. One of so many great stories. He is a drug dealer in New York and one day decides he wants something more. So Doug and his girlfriend Mary decide to pack a few things, and just start hitch-hiking.
All of the chapters are encounters of people that picked up a hitch-hiking Doug and Mary. And later on just Doug. This happens early so it is not a spoiler.
A lot of stories were told here in these pages with so many life lessons but without being preachy. Stories about people living in harmony, from Doug and Mary's first stop, and people sharing what they have, as little as it was, with others. Whether tangible or intangible. All the knowledge that Doug's drivers and hosts when he stayed overnight somewhere, was passed on to Doug and was about a way way to live, about people and life.
.
There are discussions on what is wrong with the government, health care, religion, etc. And Doug and Mary are together for about five years. You have to find out why Doug decided to go it alone from there on.
My favorite chapter was Chapter 16 - Preface to a Shortcut to Heaven. Doug talks about how your cravings and aversions distract you from your life. They keep you not fully in the present. For example, if you are a smoker, you are thinking of when your next cigarette is so you cannot fully be in the present. He goes on to explain how this is a problem and uses other examples of focusing too much on good things too! He gives us a lot of great advice one being "Adjust your mentality to the objective and you have found the road".
We learn that everything is important. And in that state of importance all things are equal and impermanent. Our unrealistic attachment to things and situations brings on many dramas and mysteries.
A big theme of the book was to spend time doing things to help yourself, not things that don't. And this includes helping out a fellow human being no matter what.
Doug was very very lucky to have a group of people that not only picked him up from the side of the road, but taught him life lessons. Doug made so many friends, that, in passing through again, he always had a place to stay wherever he went pretty much.
He does talk about his drug use. There is a lot of pot smoking which he feels is okay and for some reason, I believe almost all of his rides partook also. But then, halfway through the book, he did start getting into heavy drugs and almost died. The interesting thing was he had been forewarned by the old man who picked him up. Doug was headed to a city where nothing good comes out of. But drugs and certain death were a bad choice and only through this did he gain enlightenment. He describes of being pulled by fate back from the brink. And has a dream (or a hallucination he is not sure) which is of major significance later on in the book. Be on the look out for it.
Doug started to get into Tibetan teachings. He went to seminars, met the higher ups if you will. People like the Dahli Lama and the teachers that are high up but below the Dahli Lama.
Doug learned he is responsible for his own fate. He learned how to meditate and get that "high" feeling by being cleansed and doing work for others. He was never selfish, but now even more so.
He learned everything passes in and out of existence, but it can be quick like swatting a fly, or the slow melting of a glacier.
He learned change is constant and, on the road it was. he figured out what worked for him and what did not. He learned that he is in control of his life and can write his own script which can turn out anyway he want.
One of my favorite lines was (paraphrasing) Changes of attitude and action changes the resulting effects of attitudes and actions.
Just a note, time is not mentioned often. There is a point in the book that describes a five year period in Doug's Life, and a ten year period, and a 9 year one. I think all of the above was the first five years. But again it is not totally important to the story. Just mentioning the passing of time is mildly irrelevant.
After a chance encounter, Doug started working for Greenpeace. He had some great ideas, he could definitely interact with others, and he cared. He impressed the people high up in the corporation. People loved him and contributed left and right when he went out door to door or business to business to talk about Greenpeace. Doug still never wanted to settle down. You can say he was homeless but always had a place to stay because of the kind of good person he was and the good friends he made. So he continued traveling around and raising money for Greenpeace for about 9 years.
Another favorite line in the book (paraphrased) is that Doug learned humans are NOT on top of the evolutionary ladder because of our disrespect for the importance of harmonious relationships with the rest of the planets inhabitants.
Chapter 46 was also my favorite. Regarding Mr. Hastings and Mr. Isauro.
Doug really found himself into Asian disciplines. Without describing it, I recognized that he was having Reiki performed on him which is very calming and spiritual. He also still went to Buddist teaching conferences when they came to wherever he was residing at at the time. It was like he was supposed to be there to hear the person speak. It is like it was written in stone, there when he needed it.
He continues to travel and the conversations in the car make the book. This all really happened. He was very blessed to be able to read people, and sometimes not get into a car, but for the most part, he mey the nicest kind of people, and to make a ton of friends. Think of this book as a bunch of short stories that link together.
We find as Doug moves on, he settles into a cabin in Vermont. It is a friens's who only uses it once or twice a year but mainly has it for a tax writeoff. So although Doug is on the road now doing even more for the Earth and other humans than Greenpeace (such as feeding hungry children, and homes for families with no home, and other environmental issues facing us today), he is raising money but making money too. Just enough to live on. And when he has run through his states, still hitch-hiking, he has a place to just lay his weary head back at the cabin.
About another 10 years go by and Doug is getting older. He is not the same physically as when he started out. So he takes a class to certify him to teach English as a Second Language.
As the end of the book comes to a draw, Doug has come from a state of being homeless (the man who was letting Doug have the cabin and owned the cabin lost all his money so Doug had nowhere to go) but just at this time, he got this book published and was on a plane to a new place. He said life is like hitch-hiking: Pick a place you want to go, prepare wisely, read your map, hit the road with your eyes open. Great life advice.
The book has a lot of repetition of ideas but you like to hear it again because it is so profound. Simple but profound.
This is a very long book (8000 plus Kindle units) but it is definitely worth it. The lessons I got from here I will never forget. Plus it is entertaining there is never a dull moment with Doug and all of the people he meets and befriends. I recommend this book highly.
November 13, 2013
I was given this book in exchange for an honest review by RI&R on GR.
This book could literally be written by myself or one of my best friends. I was swept up from the moment they tripped out for 8 hours on a bench through Greenpeace, Wild Turkey & finally to the emotionally deep quote by US President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
This novel/memoir shows the finer points human beings are capable of, but also the more undignified aspect we as people demonstrate. It shows that if you are driven, and/or brave enough, you can find the best in all your surroundings and circumstances, even when you see the bad. It shows how to find your way through the negative, and makes you want to get involved in making the world better with positive change.
Ten was, and is, a very lucky man to have made it through the highways, cities, and people without fatal consequences. He is one of the very few that made this journey, and made his story exciting, relatable, a warning & hopeful at the same time.
I was skeptical about this book and how it would play out, thinking it would be another boring memoir filled with mundane details filling each page.
I'm VERY HAPPY to have been wrong.
Thank you for your honest portrayal in recounting your journey with us.
This book could literally be written by myself or one of my best friends. I was swept up from the moment they tripped out for 8 hours on a bench through Greenpeace, Wild Turkey & finally to the emotionally deep quote by US President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
This novel/memoir shows the finer points human beings are capable of, but also the more undignified aspect we as people demonstrate. It shows that if you are driven, and/or brave enough, you can find the best in all your surroundings and circumstances, even when you see the bad. It shows how to find your way through the negative, and makes you want to get involved in making the world better with positive change.
Ten was, and is, a very lucky man to have made it through the highways, cities, and people without fatal consequences. He is one of the very few that made this journey, and made his story exciting, relatable, a warning & hopeful at the same time.
I was skeptical about this book and how it would play out, thinking it would be another boring memoir filled with mundane details filling each page.
I'm VERY HAPPY to have been wrong.
Thank you for your honest portrayal in recounting your journey with us.
March 11, 2013
This book manages to get a number of really deep truths without becoming inaccessible or getting preachy in the slightest. The nicest part about it, is that even if you don't want to read it for the "life lessons," you can just go along for the ride and enjoy the story of a pretty amazing life on the road. The funny thing is, after some time reading Fearless Puppy, I always feel better -- calmer. It was not what I expected, and I'm glad of that!
August 31, 2020
Did’t finish. Bored. Contrived.
March 5, 2012
Have you ever wanted to leave your desolate life and see what's going on in other parts of the “good ol' US?” Have you ever felt the urge to take a free ride and see where your good looks and courage could take you on the open road? We've all probably imagined sticking out our thumb on any given street and seeing if someone was crazy enough to pick us up and take us on a new adventure, but few of us have had the courage to really do it. Doug “Ten” Rose is not the average person, who has lived the average life, so perhaps hitchhiking away from his drug dealing teenage life on the east coast, wasn't so difficult for him to do.
Perhaps Ten's “greater mission in life” was calling him to get out of the New York Subways of the 60s and escape to more peaceful grounds (and sometimes not so peaceful). But, was he really escaping, or was he being lured by the many people's lives he would meet, the story they would teach him, those people who would help transform his thinking and his life, and whose lives would be transformed by this wild eyed hippy?
“Fearless Puppy on American Road” is a true story of a boy who slowly becomes a man on a state by state hitchhiking odyssey that makes Jack Kerouac's fictional story seem sober and everyday. Ten's real adventure has just as much sex, drugs and jazz as the “Open Road,” but the fact that every page of it is the real recollection of a man who has lived it, makes it all the more realistic and enlightening.
Like Kerouac, Ten's life, on his wild journey becomes very influenced by Buddhism, but only after drugs have pushed him to the limit of existence, where a religious experience was the only thing that could pull him out of the hole he dug himself into.
As a life-long Buddhist, who could relate well to all of his wild adventures, I found this book very entertaining and eye opening. As a person whose hippy father named him after his personal guru, Timothy Leary, I could fully appreciate all of Ten's “unorthodox” ways of thinking about the “American Experience.” However, I'm sure my friends who haven't come from our side of the tracks can also gain something from this real life journey through the back roads of the US, which will make them appreciate the many unusual wonders we have in our own country. I'm now looking forward to a sequel coming out in the near future.
Tim Janakos, author of the Buddhist discovery novel, Myth Shattering and other books and music.
Perhaps Ten's “greater mission in life” was calling him to get out of the New York Subways of the 60s and escape to more peaceful grounds (and sometimes not so peaceful). But, was he really escaping, or was he being lured by the many people's lives he would meet, the story they would teach him, those people who would help transform his thinking and his life, and whose lives would be transformed by this wild eyed hippy?
“Fearless Puppy on American Road” is a true story of a boy who slowly becomes a man on a state by state hitchhiking odyssey that makes Jack Kerouac's fictional story seem sober and everyday. Ten's real adventure has just as much sex, drugs and jazz as the “Open Road,” but the fact that every page of it is the real recollection of a man who has lived it, makes it all the more realistic and enlightening.
Like Kerouac, Ten's life, on his wild journey becomes very influenced by Buddhism, but only after drugs have pushed him to the limit of existence, where a religious experience was the only thing that could pull him out of the hole he dug himself into.
As a life-long Buddhist, who could relate well to all of his wild adventures, I found this book very entertaining and eye opening. As a person whose hippy father named him after his personal guru, Timothy Leary, I could fully appreciate all of Ten's “unorthodox” ways of thinking about the “American Experience.” However, I'm sure my friends who haven't come from our side of the tracks can also gain something from this real life journey through the back roads of the US, which will make them appreciate the many unusual wonders we have in our own country. I'm now looking forward to a sequel coming out in the near future.
Tim Janakos, author of the Buddhist discovery novel, Myth Shattering and other books and music.
October 26, 2013
"The way is not [on the road]. The way is in the heart." I found Buddha's words to be quite fitting to give you a sense of what this memoir by Doug "Ten" Rose stands for. I would assume the author applied a light coat of fictional sheen to his remembrance of that portion of his life spent on the road in search of his true self. But whether realistic fiction or travel log, Fearless Puppy is a "manifesto" of personal views and social commentaries, loaded with emotional authenticity and clarity of vision. The fact that Rose's narrative is so well paced, so well written, pleasant to read and engaging at all times is just the icing on the cake. Not only a vivid portrait of an era (1960s and 1970s) painted through the eyes of a true child of that culture, but first and foremost an honest picture of the stupidity and saving graces of our human nature. Read my review on Mina's Bookshelf http://minadecaro.blogspot.com
***Review copy graciously offered by the author in exchange for an unbiased and honest review
***Review copy graciously offered by the author in exchange for an unbiased and honest review
February 19, 2014
I will admit that I was hesitant, at first, to review this book. It is not a genre (or an era) I can typically relate to, and having read Kerouac's "On The Road" I wasn't sure I would be able to provide the author with a good review. Not "good" in the sense of high, but good in the sense that I am not his target market. I was, however, pleasantly mistaken.
Fearless Puppy on American Road is a warm, engaging story that leads the reader through a goldmine of different cultures and experiences. It is a lush reminder of the innocent times of our world, when hitchhiking was done out of something more than absolute necessity. Ten writes with passion and love for all of his many and fascinating experiences, from his narrow miss with some bigoted truck drivers to his time among Native Americans and beyond.
If you want to read more of my review, please check out Eat Sleep Write.
Fearless Puppy on American Road is a warm, engaging story that leads the reader through a goldmine of different cultures and experiences. It is a lush reminder of the innocent times of our world, when hitchhiking was done out of something more than absolute necessity. Ten writes with passion and love for all of his many and fascinating experiences, from his narrow miss with some bigoted truck drivers to his time among Native Americans and beyond.
If you want to read more of my review, please check out Eat Sleep Write.
November 4, 2013
I really liked this book, although it got a bit tedious nearing the last 100 pages. I really enjoyed his lighthearted attitude combined with his direction into the Buddhist teachings. All the different things that have happened in his life was a refreshing look at even if you fuck up there is time to make it right/it's not the end of your world. I think i really enjoyed this because i felt i could really relate to "Ten"'s views.
If you like to think about the human race as individual cases and see different walks of life then I would read this book. I would recomend starting it, by the first 30 pages you'll know if it's for you.
If you like to think about the human race as individual cases and see different walks of life then I would read this book. I would recomend starting it, by the first 30 pages you'll know if it's for you.
February 6, 2013
Loved this book and am looking forward to the next. More than just a good story.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews