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The Majic Bus: An American Odyssey
Professor Douglas Brinkley arranged to teach a six-week experimental class aboard a fully equipped sleeper bus. The class would visit thirty states and ten national parks. They would read twelve books by great American writers. They would see Bob Dylan in Seattle, gamble at a Vegas casino, dance to Bourbon Street jazz in New Orleans, pay homage to Elvis Presley's Graceland and William Faulkner's Rowan Oak, ride the whitewater rapids on the Rio Grande, and experience a California earthquake. Their journey took them to Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, Abraham Lincoln's Springfield, Harry Truman's Independence, and Theodore Roosevelt's North Dakota badlands. And it gave them the unforgettable experience of meeting some of their cultural heroes, including William S. Burroughs and Ken Kesey, who took the gang for a spin in his own psychedelic bus. Driven by Doug Brinkley's energetic prose, The Majic Bus is a spirited travelogue of a unique experience.
544 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1993
10 people are currently reading
557 people want to read
About the author
Douglas Brinkley
112 books403 followersDouglas Brinkley is a professor of history at Rice University and a contributing editor at Vanity Fair. The Chicago Tribune has dubbed him “America’s new past master.” His most recent books are The Quiet World, The Wilderness Warrior, and The Great Deluge. Six of his books have been selected as New York Times Notable Books of the Year. He lives in Texas with his wife and three children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
May 15, 2011
An absolute must-read! Brinkley's "American Odyssey" was a unprecedented class at Hofstra University that allowed a small group of incredibly fortunate students to spend the semester traversing the American landscape to study the history and pop culture of the United States. While studying our nation's history up close, they read the books, listened to the music, met the people, and saw the places that, together, created this nation. This book makes American history come to life and inspires the reader to go beyond the written word in search of knowledge.
November 23, 2020
Wow. How do I even...
This is what I wrote when I read it in 2004.
College Prof at Hofstra Univ. on Long Island wanted to bring history and literature alive for his students in a way that is just not possible in a classroom. He devised a course offering and the University allowed it. He rented a bus for living in and its driver Frank, and took one assistant and 17 students on a trip designed to deliver America to the minds of the students. What a fabulous journey! The students were required to read certain texts as part of the course - things like Kerouac to get the feel for the legacy of life on the road, Faulkner when in the south, a bio of Wild Bill when in the west, just wonderful, timely books for enhancing their journey. They visited famous landmarks, street corners, gravesites, and scenic vistas. They toured Presidential Libraries and homesteads, stopped to hear famous authors read their work and talk about life - including William Burroughs and Ken Kesey. They visited famous bars on the seedy sides of towns and talked about poverty, environment, and industry. They visited factories indicative of the culture of a locale, and met with locals who showed them the sites, or took them fishing or taught them how to brand cattle. They visited battlefields, and Native Reservations. They visited Graceland, and The Biltmore House, and Bourbon Street, and The Humboldt Redwood Forest, and The Mesa Cliff Homes, and they spoke with Native American Shamans, museum curators, homeless, unemployed Vietnam Vets, and people fighting for any number of causes from saving the deserts to making Al Capone's house a National Landmark. They stopped at Universities along the way to sit in on lectures by professors prominent in their fields. The paid homage to fallen pop culture icons, and waded in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, the Pacific Ocean and many important rivers. They stopped and saw Mount Rushmore, the Arch in Saint Louis, the Pyramid in Memphis, and Jack London's house. They rode the rapids at the Grand Canyon, hiked the Rockies and all the while read and debated what they were learning. They saw baseball games, concerts, and examined kitsch in the name of business. And all that I've said is only an inkling of all that is contained in this book. I wish I could have taken this class, but reading the book is a close second. I say a sad goodbye to this book. Life goes on…
This is what I wrote when I read it in 2004.
College Prof at Hofstra Univ. on Long Island wanted to bring history and literature alive for his students in a way that is just not possible in a classroom. He devised a course offering and the University allowed it. He rented a bus for living in and its driver Frank, and took one assistant and 17 students on a trip designed to deliver America to the minds of the students. What a fabulous journey! The students were required to read certain texts as part of the course - things like Kerouac to get the feel for the legacy of life on the road, Faulkner when in the south, a bio of Wild Bill when in the west, just wonderful, timely books for enhancing their journey. They visited famous landmarks, street corners, gravesites, and scenic vistas. They toured Presidential Libraries and homesteads, stopped to hear famous authors read their work and talk about life - including William Burroughs and Ken Kesey. They visited famous bars on the seedy sides of towns and talked about poverty, environment, and industry. They visited factories indicative of the culture of a locale, and met with locals who showed them the sites, or took them fishing or taught them how to brand cattle. They visited battlefields, and Native Reservations. They visited Graceland, and The Biltmore House, and Bourbon Street, and The Humboldt Redwood Forest, and The Mesa Cliff Homes, and they spoke with Native American Shamans, museum curators, homeless, unemployed Vietnam Vets, and people fighting for any number of causes from saving the deserts to making Al Capone's house a National Landmark. They stopped at Universities along the way to sit in on lectures by professors prominent in their fields. The paid homage to fallen pop culture icons, and waded in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, the Pacific Ocean and many important rivers. They stopped and saw Mount Rushmore, the Arch in Saint Louis, the Pyramid in Memphis, and Jack London's house. They rode the rapids at the Grand Canyon, hiked the Rockies and all the while read and debated what they were learning. They saw baseball games, concerts, and examined kitsch in the name of business. And all that I've said is only an inkling of all that is contained in this book. I wish I could have taken this class, but reading the book is a close second. I say a sad goodbye to this book. Life goes on…
March 10, 2013
The author/professor clearly stated in the intro that he wanted all the students to look good in the book, which was a nice thing to do but necessarily left some of the human drama out. It would be interesting to read a student's account of the trip - it would probably have more sense of personal growth and change over the course of the journey, and definitely more emotion and relationships (and fewer sometimes-preachy asides).
March 15, 2008
Part travelogue, part history, Brinkley recounts the story of his original American Odyssey course, in which he loaded a class of college students on a bus and studied America visiting sites and the people who made history along the way. Never have I wanted to take a course so badly, but I suppose reading about it is close to the next best thing.
May 26, 2010
I LOVED this book. Although I agree with some readers that it can be a bit much with the "I'm best friends with so and so" and the "my personal friend, Mr. X," I must admit that it is a great read.
Not only did I learn a lot about some really historical places, but my reading list and iTunes download list grew by leaps and bounds. Highly recommend this book for something out of the ordinary.
Not only did I learn a lot about some really historical places, but my reading list and iTunes download list grew by leaps and bounds. Highly recommend this book for something out of the ordinary.
July 12, 2010
I loved this book--I read it during an American History course at university. I found it extremely entertaining and thoughtful, to boot. It made me want to travel; it made me want to learn the way the students on this bus did.
November 17, 2020
I've visited every historical spot that Brinkley brings his students to. Just recently, in Mississippi, the hotel where Dr. King was shot. They still have 1968 cars (to replicate the scene) in the parking lot. Great book!
June 23, 2021
I first read this book in high school as a recommendation from my 11th grade English teacher. When I finished, I found myself blown away with the idea of making the road into your classroom.
Just a few years later, I was accepted into the GeoJourney program at Bowling Green State University which took students on a 9 week cross country trip, just like the book, but this program focused on geology, environmental sciences, and Native American studies. It opened my eyes to the power of travel. So much of what I know about America came from those weeks on the road.
It’s been many years since, but now I am a high school English and journalism teacher. In 2018 I jumped at the chance to help lead a foreign travel program to Peru and 2020 I was able to take my journalism class in a bus to the Presidential Caucus in Iowa where they acted like true journalists covering a national story. A spark was reignited in me on the power of getting out of the classroom to teach and I started hunting for a copy of the book that first sparked that idea in me.
I believe it is out of print as I could only find a used copy online with highlights and notes throughout it, but it was worth the re-read. It’s a bit dated, going on almost 30 years now, and sometimes preachy on topics that are now long gone, but I enjoyed it and I desire to duplicate the idea in some way here in the future.
Just a few years later, I was accepted into the GeoJourney program at Bowling Green State University which took students on a 9 week cross country trip, just like the book, but this program focused on geology, environmental sciences, and Native American studies. It opened my eyes to the power of travel. So much of what I know about America came from those weeks on the road.
It’s been many years since, but now I am a high school English and journalism teacher. In 2018 I jumped at the chance to help lead a foreign travel program to Peru and 2020 I was able to take my journalism class in a bus to the Presidential Caucus in Iowa where they acted like true journalists covering a national story. A spark was reignited in me on the power of getting out of the classroom to teach and I started hunting for a copy of the book that first sparked that idea in me.
I believe it is out of print as I could only find a used copy online with highlights and notes throughout it, but it was worth the re-read. It’s a bit dated, going on almost 30 years now, and sometimes preachy on topics that are now long gone, but I enjoyed it and I desire to duplicate the idea in some way here in the future.
November 17, 2020
Douglas Brinkley filled a bus with students and took them on a cross-country road trip for credit not just once, but twice in 1984 and again in 1985. This is the story of the first bus trip, an exhilarating, wild and sometimes dangerous experiment in experiential learning. I'd challenge some of the spots and balance the gender representation, but there are assigned readings to give importance and context. Odd that the underbelly is skirted - poverty, racism, homelessness, violence - there's very brief but respectful passages of avoided dangers, though a few meaningful stops in the South.
Many high points, including Monterey, California's police attention, Ken Kesey in Eugene, Oregon, an unexpected interlude in Montana's big sky country but even the mundane is fascinating. Blasting out music and basketball throughout, on the road, on the move.
Loved it, a great travel read for the time of coronavirus.
Many high points, including Monterey, California's police attention, Ken Kesey in Eugene, Oregon, an unexpected interlude in Montana's big sky country but even the mundane is fascinating. Blasting out music and basketball throughout, on the road, on the move.
Loved it, a great travel read for the time of coronavirus.
October 22, 2022
Just finish this educational, informative, and quite entertaining 400-plus page book called "Majic Bus, an American Odyssey", published back in 1993. Written by Douglas Brinkley. Being an aging boomer, I found this book very entertaining, as it contains references to the music-and the roots of that music-of our generation, relevant to the areas they traveled through, in America, the entire Majic Bus trip.
May 16, 2023
Meh. I was a little disappointed in this. I have read a lot of Brinkley in the last year and have really enjoyed his writing. American Moonshot, Silent Spring Revolution, and Cronkite were all so excellent. This was just so basic.
The premise is cool. I love that a college administration had the stones to greenlight a class like this (the early 90s were weird) and it must have been a great experience for those involved, but Brinkley's writing lacks the depth and style of his other work.
It might be when it was written and how much things have changed since the early 90s. I probably would have liked it more if I'd read it when I was younger.
Maybe Brinkley has evolved as a writer since, but had I read this book first, I don't think I would have read anything else of his.
The premise is cool. I love that a college administration had the stones to greenlight a class like this (the early 90s were weird) and it must have been a great experience for those involved, but Brinkley's writing lacks the depth and style of his other work.
It might be when it was written and how much things have changed since the early 90s. I probably would have liked it more if I'd read it when I was younger.
Maybe Brinkley has evolved as a writer since, but had I read this book first, I don't think I would have read anything else of his.
March 31, 2019
It would be phenominal to be able to go on this trip across the United States. This book, also opened my eyes to how fascinating history can be. I read it in my early 20's and the thought of that trip and all of its history and stories has stayed with me for the past 20 years, and in some way has formed my interest in becoming a history teacher.
August 27, 2019
This book describes how history should be taught. Douglas Brinkley is a master teacher and an excellent writer. His descriptions of his travels through America with 20 college students in 1993 on a refurbished bus are evocative and sometimes hilarious. A nostalgic look at American life in the 1990s. A great read.
February 11, 2018
Got me interested in literature, history and art. A cultural "trip"! Highly recommend it.
March 4, 2019
This was a fun book to read. It presented a great mix of history and culture. It would be terrific if the study of history could be always be this interactive.
July 6, 2019
A great idea travel America and read some great books by American writers
October 2, 2020
In 1992 Professor Douglas Brinkley taught a history class by traveling across America. Road trip books are a favorite of mine, those in the tradition of Blue Highways by William Least Heat Moon. Brinkley's emphasis on cultural history was innovative and the best way is should be taught. Teaching history in the classroom is a limited, arid experience. If every young person was able to visit the sites, meet some of the figures, experience the past firsthand it would kick new life into history education. Unfortunately the logistics and cost of travel makes this difficult, but I wish more colleges would do it (not likely).
Brinkley's writing style is engaging throughout. His Romantic view of America may come off as shallow or even worse these days, but I'm glad I revisited Majic Bus in 2020. Some may be put off by all the cultural references, but there's google and you can look it up. I remember reading this years ago and not knowing all the songs mentioned, now they are all available. Some have criticized the lack of insight on the growth of the students (who are now all approaching 50), but the book is from the professor's viewpoint, not the students. We do get a sense of how the trip changed them where many encountered their own cultural bias.
There are many memorable moments. Their meeting with Beat writer William S. Burroughs in Lawrence, Kansas was a highlight. But there are many others. They encounter yuppie culture in Boulder and remnants of the counterculture at Ken Kesey's farm in Oregon. In San Francisco, a homeless vet gave a few students a guided tour of the city, even taking them out to Jerry Garcia's house. In Seattle they attended a Bob Dylan concert, in Atlanta they visited the Martin Luther King Center.
A great travel book and look into American history.
Brinkley's writing style is engaging throughout. His Romantic view of America may come off as shallow or even worse these days, but I'm glad I revisited Majic Bus in 2020. Some may be put off by all the cultural references, but there's google and you can look it up. I remember reading this years ago and not knowing all the songs mentioned, now they are all available. Some have criticized the lack of insight on the growth of the students (who are now all approaching 50), but the book is from the professor's viewpoint, not the students. We do get a sense of how the trip changed them where many encountered their own cultural bias.
There are many memorable moments. Their meeting with Beat writer William S. Burroughs in Lawrence, Kansas was a highlight. But there are many others. They encounter yuppie culture in Boulder and remnants of the counterculture at Ken Kesey's farm in Oregon. In San Francisco, a homeless vet gave a few students a guided tour of the city, even taking them out to Jerry Garcia's house. In Seattle they attended a Bob Dylan concert, in Atlanta they visited the Martin Luther King Center.
A great travel book and look into American history.
February 20, 2017
Did not finish, which rarely happens with me and books. This book read like just a list of places they went to, with no explanation of the significance of them. The only way to read this would be with wikipedia by your side. The sentences were also terribly structured and rambled on and on.
May 15, 2016
What a wonderful USA travel book. And what a neat idea to take a trip across America learning about history and literature and meeting / interviewing living icons along the way. Reading this book got me inspired about USA travel and reading USA classics. For example, Mr. Brinkley's description of Georgetown (on pg 61) makes me want to visit again and see the sites he mentions including Dumbarton Oaks, Georgetown Pharmacy on Wisconsin Ave, the Scott-Grant House on R Street, the Old Stone House, Mt Zion Church, etc. By the way, Douglas Brinkley is no relation to David Brinkley the newscaster. Below is a link to Brian Lamb's interview of Mr. Brinkley: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSY-2...
February 10, 2013
Another required read for an English class. I found it interesting in the first couple chapters, but I soon realized it was the same thing every single chapter. I wish there was more of a "point" to it, such as a change in some of the students. I know it is Brinkley's book and he can write what he wants, and he certainly showed that. In short, it felt like one big history lesson.
August 20, 2015
A book that leaves you asking why? Why is this style of learning not more prevalent, why do discount liberal arts, and why cannot we not truely accept students learn differently? The biggest question of all, why do we stifle our teachers at any level of education? A true American adventure and a wonderful look at where education could possibly take us.
March 20, 2011
This book made me wish that I knew more about US history, took more time to enjoy the journey that is college, and spent time educating myself while reading this nook instead of just trying to finish it. Take your time reading this enjoy the journey
January 17, 2008
This is good pop history, though the students on the bus sometimes make me cringe in the way that only college students asking "big questions" can.
Currently reading
January 26, 2008This book has been so incredible to read. It is part tour book, part history book, and part pop culture. It makes me want to see and explore more of America!
April 24, 2009
I waffle on this book - part of me really loved it and other parts of me think it's shallow
November 25, 2010
Did not finish. I agree with other readers who found it more of a laundry list of places visted with importance noted than a road story in which the journey in some way changes the participants.
November 28, 2010
I really appreciated this book. This was the book that initially spurred my idea regarding Teachers on Tour. What a wonderful ride...
July 7, 2011
Can't believe I didn't read this when it came out. Brinkley certainly has a passion for the road and teaching history while in its truck stops, diners, landmarks, and surrounded by strangers.
February 20, 2012
Made me want to travel
.
.
May 29, 2025
Just picked this up again after many yrs of it being on my shelf. Personal connections with these people just make me smile. I could also kick myself for not going!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews