What do you think?
Rate this book
Chasing Paradise: A Hitchhiker’s Search for Home in a World at War with Itself
"[Chris Benjamin] skillfully recreates conversations in his memoir, capturing people’s voices, opinions and thoughts. He writes of the oddities of organic food production, walking through the aftermath of a massive, clear-cut forest, and artist hippie communes."
--Allison Lawlor, The Chronicle Herald
"Just as Mark Vonnegut’s memoir, The Eden Express, provides the atmosphere of the early 1970s, post-Sixties haze, Benjamin’s book is swollen with the atmosphere of the early days of the millennium.”
--Michael Bryson, Atlantic Books Today and The Miramichi Reader
"...original in tone - droll, serious, and loving, of the world, and its wacky and wonderful people - and expansive in subject matter."
--Marjorie Simmins, memoirist and author of Memoir: Conversations and Craft
"Chasing Paradise is a great book! So much momentum in the prose. Chris took terrific notes on his journey; the conversations with the men and women who picked him up are so vivid. Stories about his wife working with children in Nicaragua are unforgettable. Chris lives and loves deeply."
--Carole Langille, author of Doing Time and I Am What I Am Because You Are What You Are
In May, 2001, Chris Benjamin hitchhiked across Canada and volunteered on organic farms in British Columbia. He was in search of a good home, love and community, and perhaps a source of income to pay off his student loans.
In Northern Ontario, Benjamin writes, “Big Al was my first encounter with what turned out to be a hitchhiking trope, the kind and generous – to his own kind at least – racist.”
The trope got worse after September 11, which happened as Benjamin was leaving Prince Rupert, BC, hitching south toward the USA. This memoir is based on the detailed journals he kept at that time, hitching and Greyhounding his way across Canada and the USA, winding up in the Louisiana State Penitentiary. The journals consisted mainly of what people said to him: those who picked him up and the bus riders he encountered – including soldiers and kids fresh from jail.
--Allison Lawlor, The Chronicle Herald
"Just as Mark Vonnegut’s memoir, The Eden Express, provides the atmosphere of the early 1970s, post-Sixties haze, Benjamin’s book is swollen with the atmosphere of the early days of the millennium.”
--Michael Bryson, Atlantic Books Today and The Miramichi Reader
"...original in tone - droll, serious, and loving, of the world, and its wacky and wonderful people - and expansive in subject matter."
--Marjorie Simmins, memoirist and author of Memoir: Conversations and Craft
"Chasing Paradise is a great book! So much momentum in the prose. Chris took terrific notes on his journey; the conversations with the men and women who picked him up are so vivid. Stories about his wife working with children in Nicaragua are unforgettable. Chris lives and loves deeply."
--Carole Langille, author of Doing Time and I Am What I Am Because You Are What You Are
In May, 2001, Chris Benjamin hitchhiked across Canada and volunteered on organic farms in British Columbia. He was in search of a good home, love and community, and perhaps a source of income to pay off his student loans.
In Northern Ontario, Benjamin writes, “Big Al was my first encounter with what turned out to be a hitchhiking trope, the kind and generous – to his own kind at least – racist.”
The trope got worse after September 11, which happened as Benjamin was leaving Prince Rupert, BC, hitching south toward the USA. This memoir is based on the detailed journals he kept at that time, hitching and Greyhounding his way across Canada and the USA, winding up in the Louisiana State Penitentiary. The journals consisted mainly of what people said to him: those who picked him up and the bus riders he encountered – including soldiers and kids fresh from jail.
220 pages, Paperback
Published March 15, 2023
14 people want to read
About the author
Chris Benjamin
17 books87 followersChris Benjamin is a fiction and features writer.
His latest book is The Art of Forgiveness, from Galleon Books, a collection of linked short stories about three boys growing up (rough) in the suburbs. His previous, nonfiction, books include Chasing Paradise and Indian School Road: Legacies of the Shubenacadie Indian Residential School, which won the Dave Greber Social Justice Book Award. His short story collection, Boy With A Problem, was a finalist for the Alistair MacLeod Prize for Short Fiction.
He is also the author of Eco-Innovators: Sustainability in Atlantic Canada (winner of the 2012 APMA Best Atlantic-Published Book Award & finalist for the 2012 Evelyn Richardson nonfiction prize) and the critically-acclaimed novel, Drive-by Saviours (longlisted for 2011 ReLit Award & Canada Reads 2011; winner of the Percy Prize).
His latest book is The Art of Forgiveness, from Galleon Books, a collection of linked short stories about three boys growing up (rough) in the suburbs. His previous, nonfiction, books include Chasing Paradise and Indian School Road: Legacies of the Shubenacadie Indian Residential School, which won the Dave Greber Social Justice Book Award. His short story collection, Boy With A Problem, was a finalist for the Alistair MacLeod Prize for Short Fiction.
He is also the author of Eco-Innovators: Sustainability in Atlantic Canada (winner of the 2012 APMA Best Atlantic-Published Book Award & finalist for the 2012 Evelyn Richardson nonfiction prize) and the critically-acclaimed novel, Drive-by Saviours (longlisted for 2011 ReLit Award & Canada Reads 2011; winner of the Percy Prize).
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
February 15, 2024
A young man's travelogue from before and after 9/11. There are the usual misadventures involving tents, campsites, and inclement weather, and the expected assortment of 'characters' giving hitchhikers a ride in canada and the u.s.a. Racism is prevalent. As a White guy (the term used in the book), Benjamin has advantages over some fellow travellers. He's also assumed by most men to be part of an exclusionary club he doesn't count himself in. There are the requisite women he encounters and gets to know, and the loneliness of the road. The Beats, especially Kerouac, are an influence.
The style is relaxed even when serious events and issues are raised. Some conversations from long ago are laid out at length, so Benjamin must have taken good notes soon after they occurred.
I would have liked more self-examination in the new orleans section. Benjamin gets drunk there and ends up in jail, but what happened internally to account for this lapse in discipline? It's an episode that seems telling, but we're not given much about motivation beyond being told that he was tired when he got off the bus after a long road trip and started going from bar to bar.
On the whole, an enjoyable amble.
The style is relaxed even when serious events and issues are raised. Some conversations from long ago are laid out at length, so Benjamin must have taken good notes soon after they occurred.
I would have liked more self-examination in the new orleans section. Benjamin gets drunk there and ends up in jail, but what happened internally to account for this lapse in discipline? It's an episode that seems telling, but we're not given much about motivation beyond being told that he was tired when he got off the bus after a long road trip and started going from bar to bar.
On the whole, an enjoyable amble.
October 8, 2023
For the most part, I wrote this more than 20 years ago. Over the last year or so, I edited it into a book. I'm glad I took that time away from the experience and words, to gain perspective, maturity and editing skill. I had fun writing it way back when, and fun revisiting it. I hope people enjoy reading it.
Some bits that struck me reading it at age 48:
"For me it was newness, and I didn't want to know whether it was human caused or destructive in any way - I just wanted it to stay euphoric. Maybe with the right job, I could pay for endless novelty: new car, new artwork, for the walls of a new house, new fancy exercise equipment to help escape my five-days-a-week stationary detail."
"Now I work in Rupert, got my office above the third best fish 'n' chips joint in town."
"Regardless, fuck the monarchy, it was time to get farming."
"...only the people you really know can make you feel alive, talking everyday mundanities like baseball, nipple rape, then turn frivolity into depth on the origins of human societies, and the possible existence of outer-space lizards."
"Hate we shall return, a mass murder for a mass murder. And the economy would soar. Now was the time to invest in everything explosive."
"Both sides of the impending conflict had long histories of violence, much of which had to do with whose god was right, and laying stakes on some kind of holy land...It always came back to the land, which so clearly did not want to be owned."
Some bits that struck me reading it at age 48:
"For me it was newness, and I didn't want to know whether it was human caused or destructive in any way - I just wanted it to stay euphoric. Maybe with the right job, I could pay for endless novelty: new car, new artwork, for the walls of a new house, new fancy exercise equipment to help escape my five-days-a-week stationary detail."
"Now I work in Rupert, got my office above the third best fish 'n' chips joint in town."
"Regardless, fuck the monarchy, it was time to get farming."
"...only the people you really know can make you feel alive, talking everyday mundanities like baseball, nipple rape, then turn frivolity into depth on the origins of human societies, and the possible existence of outer-space lizards."
"Hate we shall return, a mass murder for a mass murder. And the economy would soar. Now was the time to invest in everything explosive."
"Both sides of the impending conflict had long histories of violence, much of which had to do with whose god was right, and laying stakes on some kind of holy land...It always came back to the land, which so clearly did not want to be owned."
April 6, 2023
Written more than 65 years ago, Jack Kerouac's "On the Road" remains the gold standard of the road trip genre. But enter Benjamin's "Chasing Paradise" which masterfully meets the bar set by Kerouac - thoughtful, entertaining, humorous, insightful, engaging.
Eschewing so many of the pitfalls of road trip stories, Benjamin balances a young man's search for place in the wider world with a complex handling of the many contradictions of that very world.
Some highlights:
- When he summarizes the day's headlines, for those of us who remember those same news stories, he is inviting us into the journey with him. It also sets up that each moment exists within the larger moments.
- Over and again he is disciplined in withholding judgment and contempt, even when faced with some of the most outrageous people. But this never comes off as cowardice but instead challenges the reader to wonder how s/he/they would handle the same situation and what they think about what's shared.
- The encounters with people and the circumstances of his journey remind the reader of the diversity and wonder of the wider world but without feeling like it's inaccessible or available only to the wealthy and privileged. You can go with so little and learn so much.
I highly recommend this book to anyone, everyone.
Eschewing so many of the pitfalls of road trip stories, Benjamin balances a young man's search for place in the wider world with a complex handling of the many contradictions of that very world.
Some highlights:
- When he summarizes the day's headlines, for those of us who remember those same news stories, he is inviting us into the journey with him. It also sets up that each moment exists within the larger moments.
- Over and again he is disciplined in withholding judgment and contempt, even when faced with some of the most outrageous people. But this never comes off as cowardice but instead challenges the reader to wonder how s/he/they would handle the same situation and what they think about what's shared.
- The encounters with people and the circumstances of his journey remind the reader of the diversity and wonder of the wider world but without feeling like it's inaccessible or available only to the wealthy and privileged. You can go with so little and learn so much.
I highly recommend this book to anyone, everyone.
July 22, 2023
Chris Benjamin's wonderful memoir covers his months hitchhiking and Greyhound riding across Canada and the U.S. in 2001--before and after the 9/11 attacks. As he ponders his own life and goals, he encounters a wide variety of memorable characters and situations, described with sympathy and humor. I loved the genuine voices that came through so clearly in his conversations with--and sometimes monologues by--his drivers and temporary companions, from political cranks to organic farmers to soldiers to his cellmates in a New Orleans jail. I find his openness to people and experiences inspiring and reassuring in this current time of even deeper apparent divisions.
March 4, 2023
I absolutely loved this book. It’s a wonderful reminder that the most important thing about travelling is not the scenery you see, but the people you meet along the way. And what better way to meet them than by hitching or bussing? Chris’s account of his travels across the country and down through post 9/11 America, searching for meaning and love and home, is a fascinating tale, humorous and thoughtful and poignant. And then to find what he was looking for almost back where he started, well that made it pretty much perfect.
August 10, 2023
3.5
It’s a good book, really well written, just not TOO much happens. Maybe I’ve just been reading too much fiction. I think if I would’ve read this last summer I would’ve easily given it 4 or 4.5 stars
It’s a good book, really well written, just not TOO much happens. Maybe I’ve just been reading too much fiction. I think if I would’ve read this last summer I would’ve easily given it 4 or 4.5 stars
May 11, 2023
Chris is such a thoughtful writer. He possesses that rare ability to make you laugh even as he teaches you things you need to know.
September 6, 2023
It’s lovely to see into another’s mind that is so alike.
May 19, 2025
Loved it Chris! What a great adventure!
August 21, 2023
This hitchhiking travel memoir is set in the early 2000s and includes reflections on contemporary events and issues, encounters with lovely, quirky and sometimes terrifying people, as well as love and friendships gained on the road. It was an easy and enjoyable read- I would definitely recommend it.
February 26, 2024
CW: Alcohol mention
This book was a fun trip (no pun intended). It was well written and I loved the humour that transpired through his words. I think that Chris did great at showing us how the world was thinking post 9/11, but also how many things did not change.
I relate quite a bit with Chris’s desire to live simply and travel like he did. A decade ago, I was considering WOOFFing because I have always wanted to work on a farm for a short while, just for the experience. I find it interesting that the thought pattern from one generation to another seems to carry. I also enjoyed reading a book from someone from my corner of the world. It hits differently. Stay away from the hand grenades drinks they gonna get you in trouble.
This book was a fun trip (no pun intended). It was well written and I loved the humour that transpired through his words. I think that Chris did great at showing us how the world was thinking post 9/11, but also how many things did not change.
I relate quite a bit with Chris’s desire to live simply and travel like he did. A decade ago, I was considering WOOFFing because I have always wanted to work on a farm for a short while, just for the experience. I find it interesting that the thought pattern from one generation to another seems to carry. I also enjoyed reading a book from someone from my corner of the world. It hits differently. Stay away from the hand grenades drinks they gonna get you in trouble.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews