What do you think?
Rate this book
Memoirs of a Gas Station: A Delightfully Awkward Journey Across the Alaskan Tundra
Early one May, Sam Neumann arrived in the breathtaking wilderness of Denali, Alaska with a smile on his face and adventure in his heart. But less than 24 hours later, both had evaporated as he stood behind the counter of a filthy gas station--his new place of employment--and tried to piece together what exactly had gone wrong.
Memoirs of a Gas Station is a New York Times bestselling personal account of a summer trapped in a convenience store on the edge of Denali National Park. It is a journey across the Alaskan tundra and headlong into the ridiculous world of seasonal employment. The summer began with shock, horror, and denim shirts as Sam struggled to accept his new role as a gas station employee. To escape it, he took to the forests of Denali at every free moment, soon finding himself face-to-face with an angry adult moose, shivering numb trying to last the night on a frigid mountainside, and being seduced by a Mormon divorcee.
Often satirical, sometimes introspective, and always brutally honest, Memoirs of a Gas Station takes you on a raucous ride through the best and worst summer of one man's life. From booze-soaked employee parties to one very awkward romantic episode in a tree house, Sam learned more than he ever planned about the Last Frontier. But weekends spent stumbling through seedy Alaskan bars and hitch-hiking to remote destinations gave him a unique perspective on life, and led him to find friendship, adventure, and love in the most unexpected places.
Memoirs of a Gas Station is a New York Times bestselling personal account of a summer trapped in a convenience store on the edge of Denali National Park. It is a journey across the Alaskan tundra and headlong into the ridiculous world of seasonal employment. The summer began with shock, horror, and denim shirts as Sam struggled to accept his new role as a gas station employee. To escape it, he took to the forests of Denali at every free moment, soon finding himself face-to-face with an angry adult moose, shivering numb trying to last the night on a frigid mountainside, and being seduced by a Mormon divorcee.
Often satirical, sometimes introspective, and always brutally honest, Memoirs of a Gas Station takes you on a raucous ride through the best and worst summer of one man's life. From booze-soaked employee parties to one very awkward romantic episode in a tree house, Sam learned more than he ever planned about the Last Frontier. But weekends spent stumbling through seedy Alaskan bars and hitch-hiking to remote destinations gave him a unique perspective on life, and led him to find friendship, adventure, and love in the most unexpected places.
312 pages, Paperback
First published April 19, 2012
66 people are currently reading
494 people want to read
About the author
Sam Neumann
5 books49 followersSam is the author of three books and many blog posts, all of which can be found at SamNeumann.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews
February 25, 2013
An adventure like the one Sam describes here is worth being shared because of its scale, and share it he does, although in a somewhat disjointed manner. Younger readers will probably relate to Sam's writing style quickly, as his youth is apparent here. That's not a bad thing, but it may put off older readers looking for more of a travelogue type of story. Some older reviewers were also bothered by language, more on that later. There are parts of the book where he is trying too hard to be clever by adopting an overtly snarky of tone into the story that felt forced. The descriptions of how little work he and his co-workers did while on the clock at the store were a bit strained, as though to impress on us how cool it was to do nothing. Language used in the book varied, there were some very well written passages alternating with some relatively crude ones. I thought that bad language was sometimes used more for shock value rather than anything else, lending a immature feel to some of the passages. I think Sam is a better writer than is shown in the book. An aggressive editor would have made a big difference in the overall telling of what is undoubtedly a great story. I liked this because of the topic, but think it could have been trimmed down a bit. I would read another book from Sam to see how he progresses as a writer.
September 4, 2012
This is shaping up to be a really fun read!
Sadly, this book didn't live up to my expectations. The protagonist decides to spend a summer working at a resort in Denali, Alaska, but turns out to be woefully unprepared (for instance, he's too cheap to buy the waterproof boots the guide recommends, instead bringing 'water-resistant' ankle boots, with predictable results once he goes camping), and terribly disappointed that instead of working at the resort proper, he is assigned to -- you guessed it -- the gas station. He is pretty much disappointed with everything, from the hours at the mess hall to his fellow workers, who are either too cool or not cool enough; too smart or not smart enough; too beautiful or not beautiful enough, etc. There are some funny parts, but overall I found it fairly boring.
Sadly, this book didn't live up to my expectations. The protagonist decides to spend a summer working at a resort in Denali, Alaska, but turns out to be woefully unprepared (for instance, he's too cheap to buy the waterproof boots the guide recommends, instead bringing 'water-resistant' ankle boots, with predictable results once he goes camping), and terribly disappointed that instead of working at the resort proper, he is assigned to -- you guessed it -- the gas station. He is pretty much disappointed with everything, from the hours at the mess hall to his fellow workers, who are either too cool or not cool enough; too smart or not smart enough; too beautiful or not beautiful enough, etc. There are some funny parts, but overall I found it fairly boring.
June 30, 2012
I was excited to read this book, because living in Alaska has been such an interesting experience and I thought I would enjoy another take on it. It started out hilariously, but very quickly it stopped being "delightful" and became a droning self-absorbed account of the author's drinking and female conquests. There were a few good vignettes as he described his interaction with the amazing wildness of Denali, but if you removed all the pursuit of hedonism (and vulgarities) in between it would've been a very short book. The only thing that wasn't disappointing was that the book was free on my Kindle.
August 7, 2014
This could've been insightful and funny and at worst an interesting read; instead, it was mostly about how the author is a colossal asshole. He forms quick stereotyped & sneering impressions of coworkers, complains about all the girls who don't fall at his feet, and drinks up his entire pay while complaining about how little he gets paid.
June 9, 2018
I liked the parts where the author wasn't complaining about his coworkers, talking about drinking and drugs and his sex life. Unfortunately, there wasn't too much of that.
September 5, 2019
Did not finish. Crass and juvenile.
December 26, 2021
Did not finish. Life is too short to spend with a judgmental jerk off.
February 13, 2024
My problem with this book is that I didn't care for the main character. Sam is a college student who went to Alaska to work for the summer. He expected to work in a gift shop but ended up at a gas station and somehow felt that was beneath him. Therefore, he decided to do the least amount of work he could, the employees made a game of making fun of customers, played practical jokes, etc. Just totally juvenile. And a good part of his free time was spent drinking to excess. Somehow this seemed like a good plan to him and most of the people there. To his credit, I liked that he did some traveling throughout Alaska, camping and hiking. And, of course, he would complain about this or that, just like anyone would. But he was a cheapskate and mooched off other people (who were better prepared) much of time. He felt he was saving money when actually he was just using other people's money and he apparently had no problem with that. The stories he told did not put him in a good light. On the plus side, he is a good writer, so the book was redeemed as I often enjoyed his turns of phrases or way of telling a story. It's just too bad that he didn't seem to grow or change throughout his memorable time in Alaska, he just acted like an irresponsible kid.
September 24, 2012
Sam Neumann's Memoirs of a Gas Station: A Delightfully Awkward Journey Across the Alaskan Tundra is a fun read about a college student's adventures working for a summer at a resort in Denali, Alaska. Signing on with the resort's ownership for an unspecified position, Neumann and his friend Jim arrive in Alaska to discover that they have been assigned to work at the resort's gas station, which is one of the bottom-rung jobs in the organization. The book chronicles their attempts to make their jobs more tolerable, while enjoying the unique (to say the least) people who also spend their summers at Denali, as well as the spectacular Alaskan wilderness that is literally at their doorstep.
These are the recollections of a college guy's summer, written by the aforementioned college guy not long after it happened. The narrative is authentic and exactly what you would expect from a young man writing about such subject matter. There's alcohol, ramen noodles, late nights, foolish pranks, good friends, risky adventures, and uncertainty about relationships and life. It's not Shakespeare, but it's real, and the book brought me back to those same days in my own life, trying to figure out who I was, who everyone else was, and what was coming next.
If you are a fan of travel memoirs in general, Alaska in particular, or just want to take a trip back to those days when the present was a bit confusing though the future looked bright, check out Memoirs of a Gas Station: A Delightfully Awkward Journey Across the Alaskan Tundra by Sam Neumann.
These are the recollections of a college guy's summer, written by the aforementioned college guy not long after it happened. The narrative is authentic and exactly what you would expect from a young man writing about such subject matter. There's alcohol, ramen noodles, late nights, foolish pranks, good friends, risky adventures, and uncertainty about relationships and life. It's not Shakespeare, but it's real, and the book brought me back to those same days in my own life, trying to figure out who I was, who everyone else was, and what was coming next.
If you are a fan of travel memoirs in general, Alaska in particular, or just want to take a trip back to those days when the present was a bit confusing though the future looked bright, check out Memoirs of a Gas Station: A Delightfully Awkward Journey Across the Alaskan Tundra by Sam Neumann.
July 15, 2012
This book really cracked me up. There are so many parts in this book that had me laughing out loud, sometimes to the point of tears. My friends/coworkers must think I'm nutty.
The story covers Sam's whole summer working near Denali National Park. There is a lot of drinking, some coed mingling and a lot of awkward situations. The personalities in the story are interesting to read about. Having lived in Alaska myself and having glimpsed the seasonal worker scene I can tell you that Sam hits it right on.
The drunks, the political conspiracy theorists, the odd but often friendly foreigners, and the moose are all a part of Alaska. It's just too bad Sam didn't have the chance to experience muktuk, seal or seal fat. I'd love to have read about that!
I skipped about 98% of the sports chapter but the rest was a lot of fun to read. For me, when it came to laughs, reading Memoirs of a Gas Station is like the book version of Hangover plus Superbad.
Hopefully, this book helped make up some of the money Sam spent on alcohol.
The story covers Sam's whole summer working near Denali National Park. There is a lot of drinking, some coed mingling and a lot of awkward situations. The personalities in the story are interesting to read about. Having lived in Alaska myself and having glimpsed the seasonal worker scene I can tell you that Sam hits it right on.
The drunks, the political conspiracy theorists, the odd but often friendly foreigners, and the moose are all a part of Alaska. It's just too bad Sam didn't have the chance to experience muktuk, seal or seal fat. I'd love to have read about that!
I skipped about 98% of the sports chapter but the rest was a lot of fun to read. For me, when it came to laughs, reading Memoirs of a Gas Station is like the book version of Hangover plus Superbad.
Hopefully, this book helped make up some of the money Sam spent on alcohol.
August 26, 2012
The premise of the book seemed promising. Sam, the author, spends a summer working at a gas station in Denali National Park in Alaska. Between the stunning scenery, opportunities for backcountry adventures, and slightly oddball seasonal workers, the book should have been a roaring success.
Unfortunately, despite the fact that Neumann pokes fun at frat boys early in the book, winds up sounding an awful lot like one... (continue reading)
Unfortunately, despite the fact that Neumann pokes fun at frat boys early in the book, winds up sounding an awful lot like one... (continue reading)
April 8, 2013
I started this but quit because the book was too crass. I was really interested in the experience, but the central character, the writer himself, was such wholly unlikeable whiner and the book was full of high school locker humor.
The author does have some talent and can have a good sense of humor. I did laugh out loud twice, but ultimately, he just needs to deal with his potty mouth. It just wasn't worth digging through the garbage to get to look for a few pieces of gold.
It was a freebie on Amazon so no big loss but for time.
The author does have some talent and can have a good sense of humor. I did laugh out loud twice, but ultimately, he just needs to deal with his potty mouth. It just wasn't worth digging through the garbage to get to look for a few pieces of gold.
It was a freebie on Amazon so no big loss but for time.
January 23, 2021
It's Okay
I read this for many reasons and was disappointed in reading it for just as many. The author/narrator is unlikable in my opinion spending the majority of the book hating everyone for every reason under the sun, treating women like objects then wondering why they didn't like him, and loosely sprinkles around the word "retarded" to describe people and animals. If you're interested in Denali or seasonal work around there maybe put this on the list to read.
I read this for many reasons and was disappointed in reading it for just as many. The author/narrator is unlikable in my opinion spending the majority of the book hating everyone for every reason under the sun, treating women like objects then wondering why they didn't like him, and loosely sprinkles around the word "retarded" to describe people and animals. If you're interested in Denali or seasonal work around there maybe put this on the list to read.
December 11, 2014
I really wanted to like this book, but I think perhaps I am a little past the target audience. Instead of wishing I could join this group on drunken nights and unprepared hikes into the wilderness I just marveled at how they managed to survive the summer without killing themselves in some careless act.
November 12, 2012
Moments of brilliant, interwoven with moments of utter banality.
True story - I stopped 1/2 way through because I just couldn't take the self-indulgent whining anymore, or the insult to the WNBA. Neumann has some promise as a writer, but he's not one I'd be inclined to hang out with over coffee.
True story - I stopped 1/2 way through because I just couldn't take the self-indulgent whining anymore, or the insult to the WNBA. Neumann has some promise as a writer, but he's not one I'd be inclined to hang out with over coffee.
January 23, 2014
Possibly the worst book I've read in a long time. Kept reading it in hopes that there would be some redeeming value. Full of demeaning descriptions of most everything including Alaskan wildlife. Booooo!
September 25, 2021
Reads like a badly written first draft. It's a dumb judgy adolescent rant that barely rises above one dimension. The basic story could have been really good, if not from the viewpoint of an immature jerk.
April 12, 2020
Writing is terrible
August 4, 2021
As of chapter fifteen, I am hereby abandoning this book.
One of the least interesting books I have ever picked up.
One of the least interesting books I have ever picked up.
February 17, 2020
This was a kindle freebie download of a self-published, first-time book writer. While I did find most of it wildly entertaining, there were more than a few minor grammar errors that would keep me from rating it higher than a 3 star. Get this book some editing & it would be even better!
The book is a personal recollection of a young 21-year-old college student who spent a summer as a seasonal worker in Denali, Alaska. It's a familiar tale centered on being young, dumb & full of.... you know what, and taking the opportunity to do something out of one's comfort zone while still untethered, adventurous & able to take risks with minimal consequences in the prime of youth.
What wasn't familiar was the incredible setting & detail of the characters that Sam encounters while on this seasonal work assignment, which centers around a gas station where he spends his working hours & the wilderness of the most beautiful part of our country when he wasn't working.
His writing style is casual & humorous, light & easy to read, and moves along at a decent pace while providing just the right amount of detail & background information to keep the book interesting.
The most interesting parts for me were discovering the many types of seasonal workers that go through a similar experience and what doing that type of job entails, including the highs, lows, unexpected incidents, living quarters, and flexibility to play as hard as you work. There were many times where I chuckled at the shenanigans that Sam detailed, and felt he was not overly crude or offensive even with the casual curse words thrown in there for effect while honestly portraying his attitude & reactions to such a wild summer.
I admire the author's ability to create such an enthralling & fascinating memoir as a first-time publisher, and look forward to checking out his other (fiction) books published since then. With a more mature subject matter & a good editor, I can see this writer becoming a success with his candid & versatile writing style.
The book is a personal recollection of a young 21-year-old college student who spent a summer as a seasonal worker in Denali, Alaska. It's a familiar tale centered on being young, dumb & full of.... you know what, and taking the opportunity to do something out of one's comfort zone while still untethered, adventurous & able to take risks with minimal consequences in the prime of youth.
What wasn't familiar was the incredible setting & detail of the characters that Sam encounters while on this seasonal work assignment, which centers around a gas station where he spends his working hours & the wilderness of the most beautiful part of our country when he wasn't working.
His writing style is casual & humorous, light & easy to read, and moves along at a decent pace while providing just the right amount of detail & background information to keep the book interesting.
The most interesting parts for me were discovering the many types of seasonal workers that go through a similar experience and what doing that type of job entails, including the highs, lows, unexpected incidents, living quarters, and flexibility to play as hard as you work. There were many times where I chuckled at the shenanigans that Sam detailed, and felt he was not overly crude or offensive even with the casual curse words thrown in there for effect while honestly portraying his attitude & reactions to such a wild summer.
I admire the author's ability to create such an enthralling & fascinating memoir as a first-time publisher, and look forward to checking out his other (fiction) books published since then. With a more mature subject matter & a good editor, I can see this writer becoming a success with his candid & versatile writing style.
February 16, 2024
I'm sure to be dismissed as one of the awful old" people he hated to deal with, but this book was such a disappoinment. College age boy gets to spend the summer working in Alaska at the Denali park area. He whines every other page about being too good to work in a gas station stocking the convenience store- whine, whine, whine. His goal there was to do as little actual work as possible - great ethics! He saved a star in the review because he did camp a time or so, and those descriptions would have been perfect but even then, his goal was to get black out drunk. Drinking is a huge theme. Asking every girl for sex and seeing who says yes made it surprising he developed some feelings for a girl. He hated old people and during his dealings with them he was rude or at least unhelpful. Drink, smoke, sex and repeat.
His writing style was rather late high school possibly. Fingers crossed he manages to make it in the real world.
His writing style was rather late high school possibly. Fingers crossed he manages to make it in the real world.
October 31, 2023
Throughout the novel the author, Sam Neumann. asks, "I guess I'm an asshole?" Yes, Sam of the novel is an asshole even after giving him the benefit of being an immature twenty-something year old. I was especially put off by the self indulgent page after page describing Sam's opinions of the basketball draft. So very dull!
May 8, 2023
A college kids humorous summer romp in Alaska… the wilderness of Denali. It started off really well. But kinda fizzled towards the end of the storyline. I liked the book, but much of the terrible language is totally unnecessary though.
May 24, 2020
Funny and entertaining read. Another perfect read for lockdown.
July 18, 2023
I did laugh. I did enjoy reliving my time working in a National park….though it wasn’t Denali. He really liked telling of his drunken escapades more than I enjoyed reading about them.
March 28, 2019
Pretty much what I expected to read from a college aged seasonal worker in Alaska.
September 24, 2012
I had high hopes for this book but as it started out wonderfully. A few great stories and I was hooked. I thought I was in for another employment story which would have me laughing out loud like “Whatever you do don’t run” but what I found was a rehashing of the same thing very frequently, get off of work, drink, try to hook up with girls (it sounds like work there is very boring). There are some genuinely funny stories and some nice imagery of the Alaskan outdoors. The stories also seem to put the author in a bit of a bad light but as he’ll point out, sometimes he is an asshole. It really had great potential but apparently the surroundings just didn’t present itself and as such it really makes for just an OK book.
October 6, 2012
Memoirs of a Gas Station is part travel book, part personal memoir, and part exposé of the world of seasonal employment. I learned a lot about Alaska (especially the area around Denali National Park) and got an interesting glimpse into what it’s like to work as a seasonal employee, both the good and the bad. Traveling vicariously when I’m stuck at home and getting glimpses of what life is like for people in situations I haven’t experienced are both things I enjoy, and Memoirs of a Gas Station delivered. I deducted a single star for issues with editing and proofing.
**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy. **
**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy. **
June 26, 2013
I lived in Alaska from age 20 to 28 and spent many a summer working in tourism. Sam tells it like it is... long days of routine and stupid questions followed by partying and adventures, a lifestyle that you grow to love and miss by the end of the summer. Like others pointed out, the book was a bit crude at points, but really- there are no noble Alaska summer quests. He portrayed himself and his coworkers quite realistically. (Random note: that's why it's popular for the large tour companies to do a lot of hiring in Utah, hoping that those who follow the LDS faith will be more dependable and less wild than the average summer employee.)
December 2, 2014
Good book, but not great. It was more about the lifestyle associated with that type of internship as opposed to an Alaskan journey. Having done the WDW College Program, it brought back memories.... good memories. That being said, if you are looking for a meaningful memoir about a guy's journey in Alaska, this is not the book. If you are looking for some fun stories about a college kid who spent his summer having fun, living with roommates from all over the world, going to bars, and living a life without accountability for a short and specific period of time... then by all means, this is the book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews