The Next Better Place

by Michael C. Keith

narrator: Oliver Wyman

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir

9 pages, audiobook

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Greg Western · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a crazy memoir from the point of view of a kid on a cross county trip with his dad in 1959. It is honest and dark and creepy and man I am super curious how that kid turned out. The book jacket has a quote from Publishers Weekly that has the phrase, "Reads like Little League Kerouac." As I was reading I kept thinking that Dean Moriarty sounds like a choir boy compared to this father son duo. The fact that On The Road is some beat generation drug fantasy typed out all night on an old typewriter while on speed or something. This book is the real deal and it shines an Eisenhower era flashlight on the slimy underbelly of America. I don't think that this is a representation of what life was like 55 years ago, but it is what this kid experienced and that is creepy. Fascinating but yeah...creepy. This book demands a thick skin and it is for that reason that I say cautiously recommended.

[Jeffrey Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine a young boy and his estranged father on the road traveling across the United States on their way to California. Imagine also, the boy and his father having one adventure after another and along the way, the boy and his father both learn something about themselves and each other. Could anything be more romantic in a post World War II, Kerouac world?

However, in Michael C. Keith’s brilliant and moving memoirs, The Next Better Place: Memories of my Misspent Youth, a coming-of-age story set in the 1950s, the story is much more complex and poignant.

Keith takes readers on an amazing and memorable journey as father and son leave Albany, New York on their way to California. Their journey is fraught with one misadventure after another as they travel by bus and hitchhike across America in the 1950s. Half Kerouac and half Stephen King’s “Stand by Me” this coming-of-age story is just as much a story about a father and his son having the chance to spend some quality time together as it is about the son’s valuable life lessons he learns on the road.

Along the way, the narrator and his father meet an interesting and colorful assortment of individuals who pose all sorts of problems and windfalls. I love the way Keith wove these characters into the story and how each one’s back story added to the overall story of Keith and his father. One of the more memorable moments in his book (and there were many!) was when they were picked up hitchhiking by a couple and their kids who were on their way to join a carnival. Having worked for a carnival myself, when I was the same age as Keith, I got a kick out of this part of the journey and the story.Their encounter with the family is typical of the many encounters Keith and his father have with various individuals as they criss cross the United States.

Throughout the journey, we see Keith and his father coming to terms with their fragile relationship. There are some awkward and painful moments which underpin their journey, but these moments become a defining moment in their father-son relationship. With each new adventure and in many cases, misadventure, this relationship is tested. The journey is what inextricably links Keith and his father; their survival on the road is dependent on one another if they are ever able to make it across America and eventually back home.

Each of the chapters in this poignant and moving rites of passage saga could be read as a stand-alone story. That’s where the genius of Keith is most noticeable and shines through chapter after chapter. After all, he has made a life out of writing short fiction and he knows how to control this genre/medium to its full potential and power. Readers will most assuredly savor and enjoy each chapter, perhaps even flipping back to enjoy and savor again.

This is a most impressive work from an acclaimed and award-winning author. Even if you haven’t had the chance to experience Keith’s literary achievements, The Next Better Place: Memories of my Misspent Youth is a good place to start. One thing is for certain: after you read his memoirs you are going to want to explore his other writings.

Jeffrey Miller,
War Remains, a Korean War Novel

[Kittiya · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fast past story. I felt It was a very moving memoir, of a father and his son traveling cross country. I wanted to slap around the dad most of the story. I just couldn't see why he just couldn't let his son go. An I could not believe what that boy Mike had to go through. A few times I almost cried (I'm not a big crier). Other times a was laughing out loud. I felt it was a roller coaster ride of entertainment.

[Kittiya · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fast past story. I felt It was a very moving memoir, of a father and his son traveling cross country. I wanted to slap around the dad most of the story. I just couldn't see why he just couldn't let his son go. An I could not believe what that boy Mike had to go through. A few times I almost cried (I'm not a big crier). Other times a was laughing out loud. I felt it was a roller coaster ride of entertainment.

[Lbutlerco · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a a touching, bittersweet memoir of an 11 year old boy in 1959 and his life on the road with his dysfunctional, alcoholic father. It was both funny and sad, but knowing that the author turned out to turned out to be a "normal," successful adult with a satisfying life kept it from being infuriating (the boy's father can be quite exasperating!). It's well written, interesting, and at times quite moving.

[Katrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable audio read; sad and funny memoir of Keith's adventure on the road with his irresponsible, alcoholic father. My only complaint is that there needs to be a follow up. I'm quite curious as to what happened to Keith after they made it back to Albany. Did he ever go on that road trip to Florida that he was dreaming of at the end of the story? Does he continue to have the wanderlust spirit as an adult?

[Laurel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A touching memoir that recollects a young boy’s attachment to his father and a dream of better days in California. This read is both amusing and heartbreaking. That the young boy grew to be a successful academic is a testament to the human spirit. I’d like to find out how he made it up and out of what appeared to be a life of destitution with his father. While not elaborated on in this text, I assume his mother provided the needed support.

[Clint · Rating 4 out of 5]

Childhood memoir of traveling across the country and back with his divorced and down-on-his-luck dad in 1959. Reads almost like fiction more than 55 years later. Hitchhiking part of the way, staying in flophouses and working in small spurts across the country seem almost impossible for a 50-plus father and nearly 12-year-old son today. Nevertheless, a decent listen.

[Greg Golz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very unique story. The author does a great job to keep the story moving along as I imagine many details of his time on the road were pretty low key. The travel and wanderlust is great, but some gritty reality is dealt with along the way.

[James Hemingway · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed. I liked the elements of travel and the life experiences of a boy growing up.

[Mitchell Waldman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michael C. Keith brings us a memorable memoir, detailing what, these days, would be a case of parental kidnapping, subjecting the 11 year old's father to arrest before getting too far. But in 1959, the story is much different, and the author brings us a compelling story of the relationship of an 11-year old boy and his dysfunctional family, consisting of his two sisters and his negligent, screwed up parents -- a mother who gives her son to his alcoholic, irresponsible father who decides, along with his son, to, unbeknownst to the mother, take he and his son on a trip across country, without any real plans or funds to do so, resulting in a haphazard journey of the two, thumbing rides to California, stopping along the way so the father can take on odd jobs, eating only occasionally, and, in the process, giving young Michael a lesson on how not to parent a child. While there is friction between son and father, there is also a bond of love, despite the father's irresponsible behavior. It's an adventure discovering the seedier side of American streets, and a quick coming of age for young Michael who, in many ways, seems father to his own childlike father. This is a sometimes disturbing, sometimes endearing, but always compelling story.

[Jeff French · Rating 2 out of 5]

Keith's story of his childhood as son of parents in a malfunctioning marriage focuses on a cross country trip with his father, hitchhiking, riding Greyhound buses, lacking basic life necessities traveling from Albany NY to California and back. Sometimes touching but frequently disturbing, the book is in a similar vein as The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, another story of a child struggling to grow up in spite of irresponsible parenting. That both children grew up to become successful adults and published authors is inspiring, considering the backgrounds they overcame. Overall, the book is a quick read, simultaneously enjoyable and troubling.

[Margi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting tale of a father and son’s journey to find “a better place.” This journey helped to fuel the authors wanderlust that seems to oversee his life. The father and son were always running from something, trying to run to something.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would recommend if you liked the Jeannette Walls memoir "The Glass Castle."

[Constance · Rating 2 out of 5]

meh.... quit at p 136, 1/2 way through.

[Melva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amazing how young people survive and thrive.

[Claudia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a bad story. Engaging and sad. It could have been better written. The author relies too heavily on short cuts - cliches and hackneyed phrases.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

father and son on the road.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is crazy the difference between how kids were raised 50 years ago and now...loved reading this because of how it helped me recall my mispent youth...but...as a form of art...just okay.

[Claudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting.

[Rumi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fascinating, well told story about a boys homeless adventures around the country with his father. I would have liked more of a conclusion !

[Laura Merrill · Rating 4 out of 5]

ABC Book Choice, April 2005, Robin

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little melancholy in it.