Thumb Tripping

by Don Mitchell

The song of the open road - blue, bitter, and mostly a bummer..
Gary and Chay met on an acid trip - her last, his first. They decided to spend the summer on the road - no hurry, no special destination. The trip was in the people they made it with...

192 pages, Hardcover

First published February 25, 1971

Reviews

[Peter Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fascinating as a time capsule of its time (1969/1970) and culture from the perspective of a free-thinking college student. He and his girlfriend come to California on their summer break, spending the time hitchhiking and sleeping in their (single) sleeping bag. He's a bit more uptight than she, but he's the one who expresses more dismay at the "straights" and their rigid attitudes and outright prejudices.

The episodic nature allows for a good variety of characters. The cautionary nature of the tale comes through loud and clear, as the hitchhiking couple constantly deals with predators, both cultural and sexual. It's very much a reactionary piece, with little more than surface insights on the part of the narrator, but those insights are well-observed. The writing moves the story along with occasional stops for flights of fancy, which are kept to a minimum.

All in all, an interesting curio that has evidently fallen out of print, as has the movie version.

[Sharon · Rating 1 out of 5]

Having known the author in high school, I've tried twice to read this book, once some 40 years ago and a second time, perhaps 6 or 7 years ago. Couldn't quite get into it despite my own hippiesh past. However, he has written other books which I did enjoy, Growing Up Country and Flying Blind.

[Bob · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book when I was 17. Curious to read again to see how I feel about it now.

[Marty · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to read this based on reviews mentioning that it was a good account of being on the road. I enjoy books in the travel adventure genre with a main theme of traveling, hitch hiking, train hopping, or tramping.

Every ride Gary and Chay hitch is cursed in some way. It's actually pretty ludicrous how bad their luck is. It makes the whole story seem a little disingenuous. I likely would have rated the book lower but the author did a really good job of capturing Gary's feelings. Gary's level of anxiousness, fear, and loathing to be in each of these situations are apparent and I actually felt these emotions as I read through each account.

There is one particular account when Gary is on meth or dex and he is feeling snow accumulate around him. The sn0w becomes a blizzard. It's a great illustration for how Gary is feeling in that moment.

There is a line at the end that sums up much of the book when Gary's had enough with the way they are living: "We F#$% up a life now an then," he said. "You ever notice that?"

[La Nécropolivre]

A series of short stories posing as a novel telling the tribulations of two thumb trippers. Very anecdoctal, but sincere and pleasantly dated. I was surprised to learn that there was a film adaptation of this book. They cut out all the edgy bits (the opening bit about the kid on pot would have made interesting cinema and also the part about the testicular manipulation)

[Saroya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this when I was around 12 years old so I enjoyed it. I probably would be entertained by it now yet it wouldn't make the same impact it had when I was slipping into puberty. It's a great book for teens and young adults.