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My first initial response to just reading the synopsis about a 20 year old girl hitchhiking through different states was that this girl is completely insane. I mean receiving rides from unknown people to get to her destination just seemed crazy not to mention dangerous. Moreover, I was curious to find the real reason she decided to travel, besides being tired of living in Montevallo, Alabama.
I began reading and I became deeply enthralled in the book because I understood her interests in with the Rainbow Gatherings but I became even more interested as she traveled to different states for the gatherings and she began to hitchhike. R.K., meets some very interesting people that traveled along with her for a while. The travel times of most of R.K.’s hitchhiking companions were a minimum of a few days to a couple of months. Most of her companions would decide to stay in a particular state and say their goodbyes and go their own separate ways, When R.K. and her companions would hitchhike together, I was surprised by how many people were actually nice and provided rides, food and sometimes a place to spend the night for R.K. and sometimes her companions if they traveled with her.
My favorite parts of the book Travels with a Road Dog: Hitchhiking Along the Roads of the Americas by R.K. were the trips to Florida, Bahamas, Mexico and Venezuela for she experienced different trials and everyday challenges both good and some bad but she made it through and did not stop traveling. R.K. sometimes traveled the roads alone and without a companion, with the exception of her dog, Jambo. I enjoyed hearing about the very generous hospitality that the Mexicans showed to R.K. during her travels. Also, the good hospitality showed towards R.K. in Venezuela, as she made this journey with just her dog, Jambo. I found at times that the Mexicans and Venezuelans appeared more generous than the Americans, which really was no surprise. In the book, I think that on the road R.K. developed a great sense of humility, whereas, she did not have much food or money but she seemed extremely happy in her quest to the unknown. Not to mention, there were times where she had to find places to sleep and food to eat, but she did not worry much and things seemed to work themselves out for the best. R.K. also learned to pack just the basic minimal things that she needed and she just made decisions on a whim.
After reading the book Travels with a Road Dog: Hitchhiking Along the Roads of the Americas by R.K. I had a full understanding of why R.K. decided to travel. She was a girl from a small town in Alabama that just wanted to experience more out of life and travel to places that she had never been to. I think the general reading audience can relate to this book and even gain a better appreciation for it reading the book. The author was very courageous for taking a chance on exploring the unknown and I am unsure if most readers could actually go what the author did, especially if they were a woman. I was unsure at first about reading this book because I read a lot of fictional stories and I was unsure if this book would even pique my interest. However, after reading the first page, I had to continue reading. I felt that I was right there with the author on her adventures and I am glad that I decided to read the book. I would give this book a rating of a 3 because it was very good, but I had a little trouble keeping up with the dates in the book. The author did mention different seasons passing but sometimes I was confused about the year or even the current month in the book. Otherwise, I would have rated a 4 and it was far too good to receive lower than a three.
I encourage readers to partake in the adventure with R.K. in her book Travels with a Road Dog: Hitchhiking Along the Roads of the Americas, and I do not think you will be disappointed. Honestly, this is one of the best non-fictional books that I have read in a long time. I feel that it really opened my eyes to how resourceful the reader was in finding food, a place to rest and even money. In a current world full of technology and such, most people, including myself, would not know how to basically live in nature because most of us are used to having access to food, money, etc. It would truly be a humbling, eye-opening experience for us all to go through the same adventures as the author in this book.
I do not think that I would have the audacity, especially as a woman, to take off and travel especially by hitchhiking. In that sense, the author has my uttermost respect. Thank you so much for sharing your adventures and experiences with the rest of the world! You truly had the ganas (desire) to accomplish what you wanted in life as a 20-year old girl. I will remember this book Travels with a Road Dog: Hitchhiking Along the Roads of the Americas forever
I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars.
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