Hobo

by Eddy Joe Cotton

On a cold, gray day in 1991, a kid named Eddy Joe Cotton left home with nothing but a warm jacket, some well-worn boots, and a few crumpled dollar bills. His father had just fired him, not for the first time, but for the last. He didn’t see his father again for two years. But this is not the story of a runaway—it is a tale of an unorthodox road to adulthood. By taking to the trains, Eddy Joe Cotton learned the difficulty of life lived on the margins, the fading importance of a once-celebrated American folk hero, and the ultimate meaning of freedom.

Genres: Nonfiction, Travel, Memoir, Biography, Biography Memoir, Adventure, Americana

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Randy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was inspired by this book, but not for the normal reasons. I judged that if this guy can get published, I can get published. I'm a fair writer, I'm told. Cotton, in my judgment is marginal at best.

The first bone I have to pick is the audacity of spending three weeks riding the rails and then pretending to know what it's all about. It would be in keeping if he went to a Hollywood audition, then wrote a book about what it's like to be a movie star. Three weeks is what he invested, three mere, piddling weeks.

I found his language to be labored, many of his metaphors mismatched and contrived. I had the impression that he'd read Kerouac, or Neal Cassidy, and was so impressed he tried to imitated them. Well, that he did, like your tone deaf co-worker imitates his favorite singer.

I'm a truck driver, I know something about the road. I know the country he traveled through and where the rails run. I found that he played fast and loose with geography and time in his "narrative". I believe it was as much fiction as fact. You don't ride a "Union Pacific south out of Missoula". It might sound good, but that's never been more than a feeder spur, a dead end, and he'd have had to ride his thumb about 200 miles through the mountains to get back on track. If indeed, he went from Missoula to Blackfoot, he'd have had to backtrack about 80 miles the way he came and negotiate 2 more switch yards to get on the mainline over Monida Pass. That's the only N-S rail line in that part of of the world. At one point, he tells us that many hobo camps are located exactly where they were 100 years ago. How could he possibly know that? More than once, he describes what he sees from a moving train, but instead of snapshots, he writes about movies, action segments that take longer than the view from a moving train would provide. Artistic license? Artistic carelessness I think.

When he left Evanston WY, he was happy that the train crew had put him on "the next train to Ogden", and he seemed not the least perturbed when. he soon found himself sitting on a siding for several days. It didn't cross his mind that the guys who put him on that train knew? He doesn't mention it. Then, in motion again, he seems to take about 24 hrs to get to Ogden, less than 100 mi away, past landscape and features that don't exist in that country.

I'd only recommend this book to someone who wants to see what bad writing is. He had the inspiration all right, but lacked the patience and experience to pull it off.

[Ciara · Rating 1 out of 5]

i had hopes for this book, but the fact that it was subtitled "a young MAN'S thoughts on trains..." etc etc, should have been a tipoff. what a wankfest. it was like, take "good will hunting," a movie that was made specifically so ben affleck & matt damon could basically have the cinematic equivalent of a dick-measuring contests & people would think it was great art because, oh, it's about math & the gritty working-class realities of southie. take out the math parts & add trains. put the whole thing on the railways of america instead of the MIT campus. boom. same fucking dick-measuring waste-of-time bullshit. HATED IT! then again, i am descended from real-to-life actual hobos & most modern-day punk rock pretenders to thr throne kind of piss me off, with their romantic zines about watching the trees go by & shit. i tried to tolerate it until i could take no more. this book was my breaking point.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was like nothing else I've ever read. The style it's written in is bizarre because the author is obviously not a "professional" writer. He is just a man who likes to write and (unlike many "professional" writers) has something to write about. He jumps back and forth between his personal story, his adventures on the road, and how-to tutorials on riding trains and being a tramp. I read this while on the road for tour and It actually contained a trick that I was able to use on my journey! The epilogue is a strange bit of hobo history and I think incorrectly placed in the chronology of the book, but that is my only gripe. This book isn't for everyone but it will be great for some.
previously: I just picked this up at Chop Suey in Richmond, VA and am looking forward to it greatly!

[Barry Engelhardt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first stumbled upon this book in my early twenties. I was in Chicago for the McSweeney’s vs They Might Be Giants show and Eddy Joe Cotton did a book reading/reenactment, as part of the show. I was also staying with a friend that quickly became more and ended up seeing Wilco with her boyfriend and feeling quite guilty about it al, but that’s another story, all together.

As someone who fell in love with literature reading books such as The Road and The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test and Fear & Loathing on the Campaign Trail 72, the misadventures of a modern Hobo fascinated me. His writing style is a bit like Tom Robbin’s, which is to say beautiful and imaginative and thought provoking.

Reading this book again at 45 hits different. A modern testament in pure freedom and the realization that it can only come with extreme sacrifice at best and extreme suffering at worst. True adventure likely requires both. Highly recommend.

[Harpo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book well enough to read it in four days but by day four it was losing its appeal and I finished it just to say I did. The author began losing me when he met the first girl. None of his encounters with women seemed believable. What kind of woman would hook up with a guy in ragged dirty clothing, unshowered for days with no money or transportation? Some of his other stories seemed highly questionable especially in episodes where he acts out in public diners or bars. When he displayed feelings of anger the anger felt fabricated as if he was trying to channel the hero of Catcher In the Rye. I'm taken by the fact he has a real touring hobo jug band and I'd go see them if they ever came my way. He's a romantic of the rails and wandering and shows it well in his writing. I just didn't get the feeling he rode the rails himself any more than long enough to say he did.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be honest, I was predisposed to like the book. My grandfather rode the rails in the thirties, when he was about the same age as the author; he has a broad, inexplicable affection for Las Vegas, and the author a friend of a friend of mine. With all that going for it, I had a hard time with the early chapters, because I found them a little purplish and stilted. But the narrative picked up when he got moving--I loved the older hobo Alabama in particular, and wish we knew more about him--and I found the rest of it quite believable. Then again, I live in Las Vegas, and I taught school in one of those little dustblown towns.

Get out and see America, kids! She's waiting for you.

[Jenny · Rating 1 out of 5]

I only finished this book because I usually like reading about the hobo life and thought the author sounded interesting when I heard him interviewed on NPR back when the book came out. Unfortunately he is a terrible writer. He comes across as a Jack Kerouac-damaged adolescent who seems to believe that three weeks of travel equals hard-won wisdom. I think there is a real story somewhere in his experience, but he's not telling it here and as a result, his "adventure" comes across as posturing drivel.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

when i was living in eugene in the early 2000's , i volunteered at the w.o.w. hall when the yard dogs road show passed thru. it was a magical night. the friendliest performers i had ever met. standing in the front row for the show, the sword swallower invited me on stage to assist with an act. fond memories... i learned later that the founder and ringleader, eddy joe, wrote a book. so i read it. and it was good. id been fascinated with transients, travelers and people living on the fringe. had traveled a bit myself and really appreciated the stories and the culture he was able to share in a small little book. a nice quick read to take on the train.

[Rich Jung · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book when I was traveling cross country on a Greyhound.
I have done some freight train riding myself, and so I was interested.
I liked it, his story.
And it inspired me, even more, to write, finish, the book I'm writing (almost done) about my time riding the rails, and hitchhiking across the country.
THANKS.

[Tim Cotner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovesick, homesick, lustful, whimsical warily depressing, and carefree all at the same time. It's that off-kilter gonzo sort of story telling journalism which Thompson is known for- where fact meets fiction with a bit of pizazz

[Jessiikk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this book almost made me want to go hop a train and see the country! Mr. Eddy Joe Cotton has a very different, interesting perspective on life. Poetic and romantic in a way. It was a breath of fresh diesel air!

[Amanda Sauerwein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting memoir. Very easy to read. Fluid adventure.

[Phil Valliant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Started off great, it kind of lost me as I got closer to the end. I would recommend reading it though, especially if you like stories about traveling.

[Robert A · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was just okay.

[Ben Zimmerman]

0

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story about a man setting out on his own to ride the rails as he was meant to do.

[Jhn P · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hobo bound!

[Jason Brown (Toastx2) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hobo has garnered higher tiered reviews from a number of publications and periodicals. I hate to have to dissent as it was a very GOOD book, but this was by no means a masterpiece of any sort.

Subtitled “A Young Man’s thoughts on Trains and Tramping in America”, Hobo does holds one’s attention. Eddy Joe Cotton splays out his thoughts and delivers a number of keen visuals detailing place and people he has seen. He meets a number of interesting travelers while on the road, each sharing insight and knowledge of their journeys. Portions are humorous, others sad. I should point out that Cotton is not a bum. He is not homeless. He is not any of those derogatory or sad names that our society assigns to every person on the road, regardless of condition or intent.

Cotton has a great mind for details and introspection. Hobo is a non-fiction account, as he leave his home in the Denver area and decides to hit the road with nothing but what is on his back. He begins keeping notes on his musings on spare napkins, scrap paper, and when available, notebooks. As he goes, descriptions of his experiences unfold instilling a feeling of wanderlust. Anyone who has uprooted themselves on purpose will begin to feel the nag to move on tickling in the back of their mind (i know i did). Those who have always been snug at home will think about being on the road, though i dont know they will ever “get it”. He throws in a lot of the history of hobo-ing, how it started, how it continues, the mind set of folks on the road.

I have a problem with this book however, it is barely the tip of his journey.

Cotton spent 6 years on the road, wandering and living day to day whim to whim. Hobo covers only the first 30 days on the road. It details travel on the rail lines, hitchhiking, food, safety, etc. he even picks up a girl friend along the way. Auto-magically, he is then whisked away to a crappy motel room where he is transcribing his 23 journals (culminated over the years) into this book.

Really? Six years on the road? Why do we need to read about him sitting in a motel room writing? It could have ended with a simple “and then i reintegrated with society, but really only the fringe as i can never again trust a world that hides the beauty of living from the masses”. Otherwise, expanding his story to be more than just the initial month to increase his available material… Just a thought.

Perhaps it was just a poor transition from road to writing, but i felt disjointed and unclear as to what was occurring at the end. Though he has a history available for sharing, as a reader, i was left feeling that i had gotten shucked. In a nutshell it felt i got three weeks on the road with someone who regretted it a good deal of the time, some good prose through out, as many chances to crash on a couch as possible, and then a quick escape. It felt false in some ways, how i would expect it to turn out if i were to ride the a carousel, then write a book about equestrianism.

Overall a good read, but it’s no Kerouac.
Well worth picking up.

If you are looking for a more dated but sturdy view of tramping, check out “The Gentle Art of Tramping” by Robert Holden. Published in 1927, it is a bit harder to come across these days, but excellent (if you can read it. at some points the language is completely indecipherable).

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xpost RawBlurb.com

[Christopher Roth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fantastic idea for a book, but in the end this was fairly insubstantial. The weirdest thing is how much confident authority Cotton writes with about every aspect of hobo life and then at the end we learn that he spent a total of 3 weeks hoboing around. That's it. But he makes it sound like he's been out there for years. The first part of the book is puffed up with a couple chapters about how dissipated and tacky his chaotic lower-middle-class upbringing was as some sort of explanation why, years later, he felt compelled to do the unthinkable and chuck it all to hobo around FOR THREE WHOLE WEEKS. My God, that's 21 days! The best part of this book is the glossary at the back. There are technical differences between the terms hobo, bum, and tramp, apparently. Who knew?

[fleegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a nonfiction book about a kid who starts tramping in the western United States. It's slightly interesting and written in a really romanticized poetic stream of consciousness way. I enjoyed reading it, but I don't think it's true. I think parts of it are true, and I think most of it is made-up bullshit. That is what I think.

It did get me interested in hobos though. The history, the train hopping, the hobo jargon, and the survival of it all is really crazy interesting. I'd like to find a more believable book by a hobo or about hobos and hoboing and/or hobo-humping slobo-babes. So I hope to find something a little more real on the subject. Stay tuned for more books on hobos.

[Jane · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author managed to keep my attention for most of the book, but at times his train of thought was very hard to follow. At other times,it was difficult to remember where exactly he was, geographically. This wasn't because he was travelling on a train, but because he'd say he was in Las Vegas, yet then talk about being in Mexico. A little bit too much introspection & "a hobo is this" and "a man is that" type of advice.
The portion of the book where he's actually living among other hobo's is interesting. Unfortunately about 1/3 is devoted otherwise. (including the Glossary)

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I met the author of this book a long time ago and before he wrote it. An interesting eccentric fellow, the brother of an acquaintance of mine that plays in the puppet theatre and band Zoopy Funk. True story...He wanted to play guitar like Jerry Garcia so he chopped his own finger off. Anyway, another friend of mine gave me his copy of the book when it came out. Great writing and an easy read. A good one for a the plane or a couple days at the beach. I don't think he plays guitar minus a finger as well as he writes with out it!

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think anyone with a free bird mentality will love this one. A nineteen year old takes on a new name and a new life, riding trains all over the U.S. for ten years. Along the way he meets a host of interesting characters and learns some things about life and survival. I thoroughly enjoyed. Heck, maybe I'm a little envious of the guy for getting to live such a wild life. Anyway, it's worth the read. I give it 5 stars, but if I could I would say 4 1/2 stars. My one beef with it, is I wish the last chapter had been included in the preface instead.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is keeping my interest because of its well presented story telling. Sometimes one feels like they have a story to tell, but can never quite tell it as good as they imagine it. This is, perhaps, as good as I imagine my stories. Cotton's stories are usually well told. Cotton's words are, often enough, well chosen.

It is an added bonus that he uses the occasion of his personal story to tell the reader about little bits of hobo culture and vocabulary that we, who do not tramp, might never know.

Are there other books about tramps and tramping? I bet there are.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Relaxing, escapist reading. A first-person diary depicting the exploitable geography of the Western U.S. railroads from one illicit rider's viewpoint. In practical terms, somewhere between a travelogue and an instructional; in reading terms, a chance to feel parental as you follow this young idiot around as he makes his first adult mistakes on the road and lives to tell the tale. Simple, colorful storytelling aspiring to lyricism, with occasional daggers of human insight; quite an accomplishment for a first-time writer. Includes glossary.

[Xiola · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was not a well written book. Whomever edited it should be ashamed of themselves, and perhaps stop drinking on the job. I was excited to see a book about a modern day hobo, and was really looking forward to reading it, but it was far from what I expected. Maybe someone will step up to the plate and give us a literary contemporary take on train jumping. Until then, save yourself some time and re-read some Kerouac.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

One man's story of his first ever freight hopping trip. Tells a little bit about his learning the ropes from some kind strangers and a lot of trial and error.

If you can't tell, I was on a big freight-hopping jag for a bit. Apart from Evasion, this is probably the train bum memoir that I enjoyed the most.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cotton wrote this book when he was in his early 20's, which is probably why the writing is not so great, but he really sets the tone for life in this American underworld, the train yard as the last American frontier. Favorite quote: "Some men think they need a career, a home, and a debt to have an identity. I got mine the hard way."

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

FINALLY. A good story WITH the added bonus of an author who really knows how to make words fit together and sound beautiful. Even when he's talking about puke and cheap hookers. This book literally made me want to hop a train illegally and stop at every casino coffee shop in the US - I don't even drink coffee.
WHY did I wait so long to read this book?

[Damien · Rating 2 out of 5]

It seems that I should like this book, but it bored me. I've heard better stories around a backyard bonfire... actually I've heard WAY TOO MANY stories about hopping trains from kids just out of high school. It gets tedious.