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America the Beautiful? One Woman in a Borrowed Prius on the Road Most Travelled
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Humor (2023)The author of How to Date Men When You Hate Men examines Americans' obsession with freedom, travel, and the open road in this funny, entertaining travelogue that blends the humorous observations of Bill Bryson with the piercing cultural commentary of Jia Tolentino. For writer and comedian Blythe Roberson, there are only so many Mary Oliver poems you can read about being free, and only so many times you can listen to Joni Mitchell's travel album Hejira , before you too, are itching to take off. Canonical American travel writers have long celebrated the road trip as the epitome of freedom. But why does it seem like all those canonical travel narratives are written by white men who have no problems, who only decide to go the desert to see what having problems feels like? To fill in the literary gaps and quench her own sense of adventure, Roberson quits her day job and sets off on a Great American Road Trip to visit America's national parks. America the Beautiful? is a hilarious trip into the mind of one of the Millennial generation's funniest writers. Borrowing her Midwestern stepfather's Prius, she heads west to the Loop of mega-popular parks, over to the ocean and down the Pacific Coast Highway, and, in a feat of spectacularly bad timing, through the southwestern desert in the middle of July. Along the way she meets new friends on their own personal quests, learns to cope with abstinence while missing the comforts of home, and comes to understand the limits -- and possibilities -- of going to nature to prove to yourself and your Instagram followers that you are, in fact, free. The result is a laugh-out-loud-while-occasionally-raging-inside travelogue, filled with meditations and many, many jokes on ecotourism, conservation, freedom, traffic, climate change, and the structural and financial inequalities that limit so many Americans' movement. Ultimately, Roberson ponders the Is quitting society and going on the road about enlightenment and liberty -- or is it just selfish escapism?
1 pages, Audio CD
First published April 18, 2023
322 people are currently reading
14819 people want to read
About the author
Blythe Roberson
2 books228 followersBlythe Roberson is a comedian, a humor writer, and author of How to Date Men When You Hate Men. She has written for The New Yorker, Cosmopolitan, Kinfolk, Esquire, Vice, and for the NPR quiz show Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! Blythe was raised between Illinois and Wisconsin and currently lives in Brooklyn.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 596 reviews
April 27, 2023
Simultaneously made me want to travel to all national parks while also having an anxiety attack about climate change. That was the goal, right?
May 15, 2023
What a waste of money. If I wanted to sit and read somebody’s political opinions, I could have gotten a newspaper a lot cheaper.
July 6, 2023
A funny, feminist take on the "great American road trip", national parks, and travel. I really enjoyed it!!
July 7, 2023
Totally meh. Had funny moments, but dear god did we have to hear so much about how much she likes men? Like, okay, we get it, you’re straight, good for you, now tell me about a national park because that is what I picked this book up for.
July 22, 2023
2.5 ⭐️: This book was a little horrible. The beginning made me excited, I was interested to hear about her road trip as a lone female, but I was let down. All she did was make non funny millennial comments and jokes about men, iced coffee, or social media. I feel like she was very out of touch with nature and the whole idea of her road trip but she tried to hide it by acting like a hiking/nature lover. Most topics she talked about like climate change and overpopulation of national parks she was directly contributing to while demanding change and telling people to be better. She was very literally shit talking the exact thing she was doing. Would not recommend tbh
July 10, 2023
DNF. The author jumps between two personas - a man-obsessed woman hilariously learning about how small her knowledge of America and American culture is, and a person who keeps forgetting to enjoy her journey because she's outraged over the racist, male-centric, slowly dying world she lives in. Though I was expecting a beach read, I would have sat and stayed for the outrage if it felt like something more complex than extended twitter. As its written, its a pretty grating book for anyone who doesn't categorize themself as a liberal elite, and that completely offsets the humor.
August 15, 2023
The first half of this book, I thought it would be a five star.
Ultimately. This is a fun book. I loved reading about the parks, and even enjoyed the authors banter. But I'm an ecologist and found myself banging my head against the wall listening to some parts of this book.
If you've spent an awful lot of time thinking about the ethics of ecology / federal land management, this book is probably not for you.
Ultimately. This is a fun book. I loved reading about the parks, and even enjoyed the authors banter. But I'm an ecologist and found myself banging my head against the wall listening to some parts of this book.
If you've spent an awful lot of time thinking about the ethics of ecology / federal land management, this book is probably not for you.
July 7, 2023
3.5 stars - listened to it while driving cross country, she visited a few places i know really well so that was fun! Other than when she badmouthed my hometown, Fargo, at the beginning; only I’M allowed to do that.
(But also coffee shops everywhere use plastic straws)
I found her political rants lengthy (even as someone who agrees with her views), and the language used to be a little too trendy. I just know she’s gonna look back on the use of “It slaps!” To describe something that tasted good In 10 years and regret it lol
(But also coffee shops everywhere use plastic straws)
I found her political rants lengthy (even as someone who agrees with her views), and the language used to be a little too trendy. I just know she’s gonna look back on the use of “It slaps!” To describe something that tasted good In 10 years and regret it lol
July 16, 2023
At first glance, the premise of this book is quite intriguing: the archetypical American road trip except from a woman's perspective and focusing on United States National Parks. Sounds great, right?
However, the author cannot contain herself from getting political which automatically drops a book down the rabbit hole on my rating scale. She did manage to make it all the way to the seventeenth paragraph before starting on a tirade against things and people she disagrees with. That is not the way to bring people over to your way of thinking. I believe the author knows this so she's simply preaching to the audience who already agree with her politically.
Now, I love Junior Ranger badges. My kids have earned over a hundred of them during our family travels across the country. The purpose of the program is to both educate visitors about the individual parks/programs as well as make the visitors feel more connected to each park and the National Park Service. Driving from park to park (and then visitor center to visitor center within a park because you are too embarrassed to return to the same ranger who gave you a booklet to turn it in after finishing it) simply to acquire more badges is missing the entire point of the program and the idea of National Parks in general.
I found it quite disturbing how little planning went into the author's trip. She missed out on many opportunities because of poor timing as well as rushing from place to place simply to get a badge. There didn't seem much appreciation of the places she was visiting, perhaps because she only spent an hour or two at a park outside of her car.
Outside of the narrative about the author's trip and the consistent harping about politics, I didn't care for the attempts at humor that fell flat, the constant discussion of her sex life (as well as contraceptive choices), and her writing style which full of slang that will not date well.
This one is a total skip for me. I hope someone else attempts this topic as it's a good one that needed to be executed better.
However, the author cannot contain herself from getting political which automatically drops a book down the rabbit hole on my rating scale. She did manage to make it all the way to the seventeenth paragraph before starting on a tirade against things and people she disagrees with. That is not the way to bring people over to your way of thinking. I believe the author knows this so she's simply preaching to the audience who already agree with her politically.
Now, I love Junior Ranger badges. My kids have earned over a hundred of them during our family travels across the country. The purpose of the program is to both educate visitors about the individual parks/programs as well as make the visitors feel more connected to each park and the National Park Service. Driving from park to park (and then visitor center to visitor center within a park because you are too embarrassed to return to the same ranger who gave you a booklet to turn it in after finishing it) simply to acquire more badges is missing the entire point of the program and the idea of National Parks in general.
I found it quite disturbing how little planning went into the author's trip. She missed out on many opportunities because of poor timing as well as rushing from place to place simply to get a badge. There didn't seem much appreciation of the places she was visiting, perhaps because she only spent an hour or two at a park outside of her car.
Outside of the narrative about the author's trip and the consistent harping about politics, I didn't care for the attempts at humor that fell flat, the constant discussion of her sex life (as well as contraceptive choices), and her writing style which full of slang that will not date well.
This one is a total skip for me. I hope someone else attempts this topic as it's a good one that needed to be executed better.
August 7, 2023
Oh my god this book was so grating. If there was one thing I wanted it was to just read about the national parks and not have to hear the author’s unfunny try-hard commentary scattered throughout. It felt like watching a tiktok made by someone who ruins the joke, and I have no idea how or why this was published lol. For a comedian she sure is unfunny. Some examples:
“It didn’t seem likely that a culture that ran only on the energy from wood we burned and food we ate would be able to sustain a woman like me writing jokes about my crushes and about weird plants I saw”
“And actually, this is kind of a quirky thing about me, but my body requires sleep to sustain human life”
“It’s the biggest cactus in the united states, growing to heights of fifty feet (the tallest ever recorded was seventy-eight feet tall, making it a full two to three times tall as the men I usually date)
“Mainly I was thrilled with myself that I knew the names of about six total plants”
“I walked by a sign that said TOILET WOMEN and thought ah, my squad”
You get the gist. Then the author simultaneously felt bad about traveling to the national parks because climate change but did it anyway? And then made jokes about the consequences of climate change:
“Forests might soon become like portable CD players or the movie You’ve Got Mail: something younger generations call us old for knowing about. Forests: real 90’s kids remember!”
Then, the faux intellectualism scattered throughout the book which made me say “oh my goodness things just aren’t that deep”:
“Maybe the draw of white women to turquoise is about a fantasy of being Native, being the original inhabitants of a land and thus the moral authority on that land’s use. It’s the fantasy of being free from the sins of settler colonialism” (when discussing white women that wear turquoise jewellery lol)
Overall the book felt really disingenuous. I guess it felt like the author didn’t even enjoy what she was doing (quit her job to travel for three months to a bunch of national parks). Does this make me bitter? Not sure, I guess I just wonder where you draw the line between critiquing yourself and literally ruining your own vacation because you are constantly spiralling about how bad it is to be doing the thing is that you’re doing!
1.5/5 stars (rounded up)
“It didn’t seem likely that a culture that ran only on the energy from wood we burned and food we ate would be able to sustain a woman like me writing jokes about my crushes and about weird plants I saw”
“And actually, this is kind of a quirky thing about me, but my body requires sleep to sustain human life”
“It’s the biggest cactus in the united states, growing to heights of fifty feet (the tallest ever recorded was seventy-eight feet tall, making it a full two to three times tall as the men I usually date)
“Mainly I was thrilled with myself that I knew the names of about six total plants”
“I walked by a sign that said TOILET WOMEN and thought ah, my squad”
You get the gist. Then the author simultaneously felt bad about traveling to the national parks because climate change but did it anyway? And then made jokes about the consequences of climate change:
“Forests might soon become like portable CD players or the movie You’ve Got Mail: something younger generations call us old for knowing about. Forests: real 90’s kids remember!”
Then, the faux intellectualism scattered throughout the book which made me say “oh my goodness things just aren’t that deep”:
“Maybe the draw of white women to turquoise is about a fantasy of being Native, being the original inhabitants of a land and thus the moral authority on that land’s use. It’s the fantasy of being free from the sins of settler colonialism” (when discussing white women that wear turquoise jewellery lol)
Overall the book felt really disingenuous. I guess it felt like the author didn’t even enjoy what she was doing (quit her job to travel for three months to a bunch of national parks). Does this make me bitter? Not sure, I guess I just wonder where you draw the line between critiquing yourself and literally ruining your own vacation because you are constantly spiralling about how bad it is to be doing the thing is that you’re doing!
1.5/5 stars (rounded up)
August 31, 2023
All I know is the author gets her Midwestern card revoked because she thinks Colorado is in the Midwest. GIRL.
This is a mix of politics and travel memoir which was unique, but it got to the point it was repetitive. If you only go to each national park for 1-2 hours, did you really experience them enough?
This is a mix of politics and travel memoir which was unique, but it got to the point it was repetitive. If you only go to each national park for 1-2 hours, did you really experience them enough?
July 5, 2024
This book is basically
1. I drove for hours in my Prius
2. I flirted with a park ranger
3. Climate change/colonialism rant
4. Denial of general revelation
Rinse and repeat.
It gets a second star only because it was entertaining enough that I finished it.
1. I drove for hours in my Prius
2. I flirted with a park ranger
3. Climate change/colonialism rant
4. Denial of general revelation
Rinse and repeat.
It gets a second star only because it was entertaining enough that I finished it.
January 9, 2024
Waste of time. This book is for you if you're dying to read about a white millennial woman's cross country national park road trip where she learns the name of a yucca and compares herself to Thoreau. Her "hot takes" are lukewarm, shallow, and lack nuance. Her hypocrisy is astounding (she's all for the Land Back movement and shared spaces UNLESS it's her friends land because they're doing something cool with it). Her book is RIDDLED with complaints about the overcrowding of national parks but, again, it's totally chill if SHE's doing it with her COOL FRIENDS. Humans are killing the environment with our greenhouse gases and car emissions but it's ok that she's driving across the whole country because she's in a Prius.
Aside from her narrow world views, Roberson's writing is one step above Chat GPT. Her jokes are flat, outdated, and lazy. Imagine if the "quirky side of twitter" wrote a rambling book.
Also, as someone who grew up in the gorgeous Southwest and spent many hours hiking outside in childhood, I am SO SICK of the coastal elite attitude towards my home. Roberson acts as if she is discovering Carlsbad Caverns and provides an under-researched perspective on the water crisis in the Four Corners. She tokenizes the plants and uses their names as a way to make herself feel better about taking this privileged, unnecessary road trip. The audacity of this author to quote Robin Wall Kimmerer's "Braiding Sweetgrass" while talking about learning how to say "saguaro" was nauseating. When she admitted that she had cowboy and cactus tattoos but had never seen a palo verde, I rolled my eyes and said "of course you do. You appropriate culture just like the rest of the people you complain about." But it's all good because she "learned something about cacti", right? She also proceeds to have a section about how white women are scared of being murdered by strangers and how this idea stems from white-centric feminism and erasure of BIPOC murder rates (all true statements) but then makes 150,000 jokes about being murdered on the road. Cute.
Finally, as I'm sure is not a surprise, she spends more time complaining than experiencing the National Parks. Nothing is "perfect". She wants the "backcountry experience" but wants no one else to have that experience and she needs to be able to access it in her Prius. How lovely that she had the time and resources to quit her job and do a road trip! But please shut up about how hard it is to get to your next national park in time! You are MISSING THE POINT.
Aside from her narrow world views, Roberson's writing is one step above Chat GPT. Her jokes are flat, outdated, and lazy. Imagine if the "quirky side of twitter" wrote a rambling book.
Also, as someone who grew up in the gorgeous Southwest and spent many hours hiking outside in childhood, I am SO SICK of the coastal elite attitude towards my home. Roberson acts as if she is discovering Carlsbad Caverns and provides an under-researched perspective on the water crisis in the Four Corners. She tokenizes the plants and uses their names as a way to make herself feel better about taking this privileged, unnecessary road trip. The audacity of this author to quote Robin Wall Kimmerer's "Braiding Sweetgrass" while talking about learning how to say "saguaro" was nauseating. When she admitted that she had cowboy and cactus tattoos but had never seen a palo verde, I rolled my eyes and said "of course you do. You appropriate culture just like the rest of the people you complain about." But it's all good because she "learned something about cacti", right? She also proceeds to have a section about how white women are scared of being murdered by strangers and how this idea stems from white-centric feminism and erasure of BIPOC murder rates (all true statements) but then makes 150,000 jokes about being murdered on the road. Cute.
Finally, as I'm sure is not a surprise, she spends more time complaining than experiencing the National Parks. Nothing is "perfect". She wants the "backcountry experience" but wants no one else to have that experience and she needs to be able to access it in her Prius. How lovely that she had the time and resources to quit her job and do a road trip! But please shut up about how hard it is to get to your next national park in time! You are MISSING THE POINT.
April 20, 2023
A white woman with succulent tattoos and a liberal arts degree quits her job in New York City to drive a Toyota Prius across the US, hitting about 30 national parks in just under 8 weeks and, thus, changing her life. Riveting. No, actually, it is! I loved this book.
I was lucky enough to receive this ARC from @harpercollins in exchange for an honest review--thank you to the author and publisher!
Among writing about her physical and wondrous American journey, Roberson reckons with America’s unforgiving history of land robbery, Native erasure, and park privatization and protection (or a lack thereof). The internal debate regarding hypocrisy (am I a part of the problem?), physical manifestations of climate change and species endangerment, and racial and economic inequity are investigated by this comedy writer, and I personally believe that it is done so in a genuine way. In my reading, these points were not hastily researched and tacked onto the ends of some chapters because an editor pointed out the lack of wokeness in the author’s book, which I have definitely seen before. These parts read like they were part of the first draft, too. This is just my opinion, though, as a white woman. I welcome any critiques and feedback from those who disagree.
I found Roberson hilarious and poignant, and now I feel like I’ve been missing out on this country’s landscapes. I’m not sure how I’d be able to handle camping, though—neither a small Walmart tent nor the back of a Prius sounds incredibly intriguing to me.
I’m thrilled to have been gifted this ARC, and I implore anyone who is into comedic essays about nature, being a woman while traveling, and an exploration of the incredibly unimportant yet personally significant tasks we give ourselves every day, such as earning a Junior Ranger badge from every single park ground we visit, to read this book.
I was lucky enough to receive this ARC from @harpercollins in exchange for an honest review--thank you to the author and publisher!
Among writing about her physical and wondrous American journey, Roberson reckons with America’s unforgiving history of land robbery, Native erasure, and park privatization and protection (or a lack thereof). The internal debate regarding hypocrisy (am I a part of the problem?), physical manifestations of climate change and species endangerment, and racial and economic inequity are investigated by this comedy writer, and I personally believe that it is done so in a genuine way. In my reading, these points were not hastily researched and tacked onto the ends of some chapters because an editor pointed out the lack of wokeness in the author’s book, which I have definitely seen before. These parts read like they were part of the first draft, too. This is just my opinion, though, as a white woman. I welcome any critiques and feedback from those who disagree.
I found Roberson hilarious and poignant, and now I feel like I’ve been missing out on this country’s landscapes. I’m not sure how I’d be able to handle camping, though—neither a small Walmart tent nor the back of a Prius sounds incredibly intriguing to me.
I’m thrilled to have been gifted this ARC, and I implore anyone who is into comedic essays about nature, being a woman while traveling, and an exploration of the incredibly unimportant yet personally significant tasks we give ourselves every day, such as earning a Junior Ranger badge from every single park ground we visit, to read this book.
May 19, 2024
This ended up being a disappointment. At the beginning, this seemed like it had the potential to be a 5 star read for me - woman on a road trip visiting national parks? How could it go wrong? Turns out it can go wrong by rushing in and out of parks to mark them off a list - sometimes spending only an hour or two in a park and by ranting about behaviors that you are also exhibiting. When you start ranting about others’ fossil fuel use while taking a road trip trying to cram in visits to park so that you can check them off a list or when, in the same chapter you joke about blowing up a pipeline, you state that you drive 100 miles out of your way so you can sleep where it is cooler, I’m out. There was a heavy amount of politics in here - which normally i am fine with. And while I would probably agree with her about 70% of the time, she just comes across like she is ranting and whining and it annoyed me even when I agreed with her. One of the final straws for me was when she meets up with a friend and they have sex and he asks her not to post about it on social media - and she acts hurt and upset. It is completely within his right to not have his sexual experiences on her social media feed - just like it would have been completely her right to be upset if he was posting about having sex with her without her permission to post it. Argh. I wanted to like this so much - and there were a few funny moments, but it was not the book I was hoping for.
December 14, 2022
I won a copy of this one in a Goodreads giveaway. I was hoping, since this one said it had a comedic approach that it would be my jam, particularly when you consider that it was combining road trips with comedy - because I have always enjoyed road trips. Alas, this one wasn't my cup of tea. Not my style of humor and not my preferred approach to travelogues. I'm more of a Jenny Lawson, early Carlin, Ryan Reynolds, Leslie Neilson kind of humor person and this wasn't that. I'm sure it will appeal to those who either know who this comedian is or who prefer more instagram based humor approaches.
July 25, 2025
Between print and audio, I finished this entire book in less than a day - it was the EXACT right book at the right time for me, as I contemplate travel and road trips and parks and public lands and what it all means. Plus, the author is from my state of Wisconsin and opens with a bit about Devils Lake. I mean … kismet.
There is a lot of quippy, sometimes cringey, humor in this that may turn off some readers, but it just endeared me to the author and her (like my own) geekiness. Also, In the short time since this book published, I’m sad to realize just how much more in peril the National Parks are than they were at the time of this writing. FDT indeed.
Source: purchased paperback and Spotify audiobook
There is a lot of quippy, sometimes cringey, humor in this that may turn off some readers, but it just endeared me to the author and her (like my own) geekiness. Also, In the short time since this book published, I’m sad to realize just how much more in peril the National Parks are than they were at the time of this writing. FDT indeed.
Source: purchased paperback and Spotify audiobook
May 23, 2023
As a huge fan of visiting National Parks I thought I’d really like this but didn’t care for it at all. I think the author focused too much on her own personal rants and not on the parks nearly enough.
June 5, 2023
I laughed. I learned. I was filled with dread. Maybe I’ll go to the Everglades since it’s the closest national park to me
January 25, 2024
I heard about this book on "The Worst Bestseller’s" podcast when the hosts were reviewing their favorite books of the year.
Having explored three national parks when in Utah, I developed an interest in national parks and loved the premise of this book where the author visits numerous parks on a solo road trip.
She reflects on the parks, Indigenous culture, friends and family, as well as the nature of travel and the ethos of the parks. Definitely ignited a desire to explore more of the parks across the country, but definitely agree with her on the sheer beauty of Capitol Reef National Park!
Overall, 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Having explored three national parks when in Utah, I developed an interest in national parks and loved the premise of this book where the author visits numerous parks on a solo road trip.
She reflects on the parks, Indigenous culture, friends and family, as well as the nature of travel and the ethos of the parks. Definitely ignited a desire to explore more of the parks across the country, but definitely agree with her on the sheer beauty of Capitol Reef National Park!
Overall, 4.5 out of 5 stars.
July 11, 2023
I saw this rated and reviewed well and wanted to give it a shot, but UGH! Not enjoyable for me.
I was turned off in the 1st chapter when the author complained of being murdered who knows HOW many times. I have a personal rule that I follow that if I start a book, I finish the book. Didn't enjoy the attempts at humor. Didn't enjoy the endless horny references. Didn't enjoy the continuous whineyness.
Didn't enjoy the book.
I was turned off in the 1st chapter when the author complained of being murdered who knows HOW many times. I have a personal rule that I follow that if I start a book, I finish the book. Didn't enjoy the attempts at humor. Didn't enjoy the endless horny references. Didn't enjoy the continuous whineyness.
Didn't enjoy the book.
June 9, 2023
Blythe is always funny, but I found this book inspiring and thought-provoking as well! Between learning the history of different state parks and forests to some efforts on conservation, I feel like I learned a lot. And maybe I need to go try to earn some junior park ranger badges, too.
July 7, 2024
I didn’t care much for her book about dating when she hated men, so I wake expecting much for this one. This one was significantly better, and I don’t even really like nature much. I appreciated her reflections and made me want to see some of these places for myself.
August 27, 2023
This was so good mostly because of timing for me. I read this during my first solo road trip and I appreciated the familiar experience this writing offered during my adventure. But this did become preachy at moments. Still I would recommend for a traveler/ adventurer looking to be more mindful of the impact of tourism on the loa culture and environment.
July 1, 2025
Very well written with adventure spirit! Only reason for 3 stars is just my personal preference in books (I’m working on my non-fiction/biography reading skills). Blythe does a good job with her voice and I love the silly stories she gets from each park. Definitely makes you think more about your impact in the world and also gives you a greater appreciation for our public lands in this current time.
September 9, 2023
Should I buy a car and tour the US of A ???
January 12, 2024
3.25✨ i really enjoyed the start of this & then by the middle it became quite repetitive with the same remarks on the tension between wanting to enjoy national parks while grappling with their racist histories & commodification of land, same reality check of the effects of climate change, same jokes about old white men, same pop culture meme references & ways of speaking that are incredibly “in” now but I’m sure won’t hit 15 years from now if someone of the next generation would pick up this book.
I audiobooked this one - not narrated by the author. Overall, i enjoyed listening Roberson’s perspective & remarks. Roberson is funny & the concept of embarking on a cross country road trip to acquire all of the junior ranger badges was one i was immediately intrigued by. It was fun to learn facts from different parks & hear her stories from each location. I’ll definitely be asking for a junior ranger booklet next time im at a National park! I appreciated her candid nature & storytelling, but as previously stated it felt all the same by the end…almost as if her writing fell flat. Or perhaps the road-trip became monotonous, and that was relayed through her writing, but either way as a reader, it took me from really enjoying the book at the beginning to it being meh by the end.
A fun listen, with some interesting facts & ideas, but nothing ground breaking.
I audiobooked this one - not narrated by the author. Overall, i enjoyed listening Roberson’s perspective & remarks. Roberson is funny & the concept of embarking on a cross country road trip to acquire all of the junior ranger badges was one i was immediately intrigued by. It was fun to learn facts from different parks & hear her stories from each location. I’ll definitely be asking for a junior ranger booklet next time im at a National park! I appreciated her candid nature & storytelling, but as previously stated it felt all the same by the end…almost as if her writing fell flat. Or perhaps the road-trip became monotonous, and that was relayed through her writing, but either way as a reader, it took me from really enjoying the book at the beginning to it being meh by the end.
A fun listen, with some interesting facts & ideas, but nothing ground breaking.
May 12, 2024
On its face, this book sounds like it was written for me, which is probably why I kept slogging through weeks after I should have filed in "Did Not Finish." A travelogue about a road trip to visit National Parks? I LOVE National Parks! With the narrative device of visiting parks where the author hadn't gotten a Junior Ranger Badge? I ALSO enjoy completing Junior Ranger Badges! Told by a woman traveling by herself? Just like Cheryl Strayed!
I feel guilty about this review, because many of the negative reviews bash the important messages Roberson (sadly ineptly) weaves throughout the book--messages about the problematic origins and stewardship of our National Park System, current issues with overcrowding and underfunding, larger implications about access to nature, and existential threats like climate change. And questions about why there's been so little travel literature written by women. All of these are important messages that could have been delivered more successfully in the hands of a more skilled writer.
Roberson's (presumed) skills as a comedian and Instagram influencer, however, just don't translate to a compelling book. I agree with her observations, but found them sanctimonious. Perhaps this Gen Xer just doesn't appreciate Millennial humor, but I only laughed out loud once, towards the end of the book, when Roberson describes carrying a gallon of water on a hike in Big Bend so the park ranger at the visitor's center wouldn't have the satisfaction of finding her dead on the trail, carrying just a couple of liters of water.
Maybe what is missing is relationships between people, and even self. The book is most successful when Roberson explores those relationships--with a one-night stand, encounters with different park rangers, with the interesting characters that are her friends she visits along the way. The bottom line, though, is that it was a slog to get through and I didn't look forward to picking it up to continue reading.
I feel guilty about this review, because many of the negative reviews bash the important messages Roberson (sadly ineptly) weaves throughout the book--messages about the problematic origins and stewardship of our National Park System, current issues with overcrowding and underfunding, larger implications about access to nature, and existential threats like climate change. And questions about why there's been so little travel literature written by women. All of these are important messages that could have been delivered more successfully in the hands of a more skilled writer.
Roberson's (presumed) skills as a comedian and Instagram influencer, however, just don't translate to a compelling book. I agree with her observations, but found them sanctimonious. Perhaps this Gen Xer just doesn't appreciate Millennial humor, but I only laughed out loud once, towards the end of the book, when Roberson describes carrying a gallon of water on a hike in Big Bend so the park ranger at the visitor's center wouldn't have the satisfaction of finding her dead on the trail, carrying just a couple of liters of water.
Maybe what is missing is relationships between people, and even self. The book is most successful when Roberson explores those relationships--with a one-night stand, encounters with different park rangers, with the interesting characters that are her friends she visits along the way. The bottom line, though, is that it was a slog to get through and I didn't look forward to picking it up to continue reading.
July 17, 2024
Definitely one of the best books i’ve ever read. As someone who loves nature and plans on visiting the national parks, i enjoyed every minute reading this. I have so much more knowledge that i didn’t before regarding the national parks and the little facts about each one. If you plan on doing a road trip i highly suggest reading this book. It definitely made me want to travel even more than i already do.
October 5, 2023
I liked the idea behind this book, loved the idea of a less Bill Bryson Bill Bryson. The first half of the book I was really enjoying it but somewhere in the second half it became a bit harder to get through.
A lot of the “typical New Yorker” commentary got very old and stale quickly, especially when she realized the pace of only a couple hours in a National Park day after day was unsustainable and not a great way to enjoy these spaces.
The author’s commentary throughout the book was fun and lively, but went on a bit too long at times, bordering on an elite East Coaster thinking they’re much better than “the flyover states”. It ended with a great sentiment about enjoying the nature in your “backyard” which was a great way to round out this rather up and down story.
Also I’ve been to so many places in New York that use plastic straws calm down
A lot of the “typical New Yorker” commentary got very old and stale quickly, especially when she realized the pace of only a couple hours in a National Park day after day was unsustainable and not a great way to enjoy these spaces.
The author’s commentary throughout the book was fun and lively, but went on a bit too long at times, bordering on an elite East Coaster thinking they’re much better than “the flyover states”. It ended with a great sentiment about enjoying the nature in your “backyard” which was a great way to round out this rather up and down story.
Also I’ve been to so many places in New York that use plastic straws calm down
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