The Oregon Trail

A New American Journey

De: Rinker Buck

Narrado por: Rinker Buck

Duración: 16 h y 42 m

Resumen del Editor

In the best-selling tradition of Bill Bryson and Tony Horwitz, Rinker Buck's The Oregon Trail is a major work of participatory history: an epic account of traveling the entire 2,000-mile length of the Oregon Trail the old-fashioned way, in a covered wagon with a team of mules - which hasn't been done in a century - that also tells the rich history of the trail, the people who made the migration, and its significance to the country.

Spanning 2,000 miles and traversing six states from Missouri to the Pacific Ocean, the Oregon Trail is the route that made America. In the 15 years before the Civil War, when 400,000 pioneers used it to emigrate West - historians still regard this as the largest land migration of all time - the trail united the coasts, doubled the size of the country, and laid the groundwork for the railroads. The trail years also solidified the American character: our plucky determination in the face of adversity, our impetuous cycle of financial bubbles and busts, the fractious clash of ethnic populations competing for the same jobs and space. Today, amazingly, the trail is all but forgotten.

Rinker Buck is no stranger to grand adventures. The New Yorker described his first travel narrative, Flight of Passage, as "a funny, cocky gem of a book", and with The Oregon Trail he seeks to bring the most important road in American history back to life. At once a majestic American journey, a significant work of history, and a personal saga reminiscent of best sellers by Bill Bryson and Cheryl Strayed, the book tells the story of Buck's 2,000-mile expedition across the plains with tremendous humor and heart. He was accompanied by three cantankerous mules,;his boisterous brother, Nick; and an "incurably filthy" Jack Russell terrier named Olive Oyl.

Includes an extended behind-the-scenes conversation with author/narrator Rinker Buck with his brother and trail companion, Nick Buck.

©2015 Rinker Buck (P)2015 Simon & Schuster

Everyone will learn a bit about themselves.

I truly loved this story. You will learn a lot about history and our continent but the characters who traveled this route will remind you who you are and what's important to you.

I loved this book so much I listened to it again!

This is a wonderful adventure across the country in a covered wagon with three mules that are just as much part of the story as the brothers. It's very funny and I made a Google map of their trip https://www.google.com/maps/placelists/list/13yqHJ3TIjuEz78JIkpkZTAr1SnI

History meets the 21st Century slowly

Excellent depiction of two brothers’ experience retracing the Oregon Trail. I learned to admire mules and appreciate in a down to earth way what the early pioneers experienced along the Trail.

Ruined by political comments

Interesting tale of a New Jersey cowboy type and his brother taking to the Oregon trail with a mule team. All was moderately interesting until he spat criticism At RV tourists who dared to get in his way. Totally turned me off. Went so far as to mention Fox News viewers. Too bad. Won’t bother reading his other books. He was on a major ego trip.

Really good

I’ve seen a lot of mixed feelings on this book and audio book and I can understand why a bit - but don’t really vibe with the negativity. Rinker isn’t the best narrator ever, but for a travelogue that he wrote about his near lifelong dream - it would ring so hollow If anyone else read aloud. That said, this is one of the few books that I do recommend listening to at 1.3ish speed, which will result in some slight clipping, but actually gives it a bit more passion in some odd way.

If you are worried about the “political” asides that have been hinted at in other reviews - know that these are likely about two groups in particular: Mormons and The Tea Party. He speaks frankly about the former, and if a practicing member of that faith I can certainly understand the unease with some things said, but he also speaks with love about many Mormons he met on the trail and has met through his life.

Rinker is not the most likable person ever, he wears his years on him, and the books is often honest to a fault, but to me, these are the kinds of things that make travel writing worth it.

I’m not a horse or mule person, but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t tearing up at the end.

Recommended.

History and Mule Driving

If you’ve ever read a novel with draft animals that seemed like organic versions of cars and trucks, this book will disabuse that notion. The three mules needed feed, water and a considerable amount of tending every day so they could pull the wagon and cart. Each has a distinct personality, and Nick and Rinker had to be ready to encourage, hold back, or distract the team over hazardous terrain that could be fatal. Rinker Buck weaves the history of the Oregon Trail around and through their own trip across.

History and Fraternity

Vivid account of a recent journey, with mules, in a white top wagon on the many trails of America's overland migration.

Reflections on courageous predecessors, historic way stops, the imagination necessary to organize and carry out arduous journeys.

Recommended to anyone who has ever had to justify re-enacting history to non-comprehenders, to members of large Irish families who meditate on the courage and romanticism of their tribe, and those considering way 21st century brothers can support one another under duress.

EHR

Don't stop

I've never listened to a book so long, but I actually never wanted it to end. I became captivated by the adventure and felt I was there with them. Especially liked the brotherly banter. Thanks also for the history lessons. I love this book. Here's hoping these guys are still doing well in the lives.

enjoyable

I really enjoyed the story line. I got a little bogged down with the details of the wagon. the book would have been so much better with a professional narrator.

Good, but flawed.

Rinker Buck is evidently as idiosyncratic a person as his name would suggest. His book reflects that character. I liked the concept and the basic story, but much of the narrative was uneven and self indulgent, making it hard for me to maintain a constant level of interest. Mr. Buck and his brother Nick - as peculiar in his own way as Rinker - drove a mule-drawn covered wagon, carefully recreated for the journey, along the historic Oregon trail from Missouri to the West Coast. Along the way they kept as much as possible to the historical trail, following whenever possible the very same ruts that were carved into the prairie by the original wagon trains, staying in the same campsites, and facing the same challenges of navigation, terrain, and resources that made the historical immigration such epic adventure.

Buck informs us early on that he's a romantic and an indefatigable researcher. Both of these qualities are evident in the book. He takes time away from the narrative to describe the history and science of mule breeding in the United States, the technology and economics of cross country wagon manufacturing, and similar topics. He relates fascinating stories from the country's great nineteenth century western migration, musing at length about what these people were like, what drove them to do what they did, and how their accomplishments affected them and the rest of us. The obstacles that Rinker and his brother overcame, including the basic daily grind of managing a large, heavily laden wagon and three powerful, sometimes cantankerous mules make for compelling reading.

On the other hand the book suffers from a number of drawbacks. Rinker is often introverted and self-obsessed, prey to internal conflicts, including an unresolved relationship with his powerful, sometimes overbearing father. Nick plays an important, sometimes pivotal role in the success of their journey, but he's loud, vulgar, and argumentative, the kind of person whom I might learn to like, but would in most circumstances avoid. Rinker's affection for his brother is not unalloyed, and I tired of their endless bickering. Last, but not least, is Rinker's performance as narrator. His voice is high pitched, sometimes grating, and he reads the book with a peculiar, irregular pacing that makes it seem as though he's never encountered it before, much less wrote it. He routinely pauses mid-sentence, as if at a period, then adds a phrase or clause that should have followed seamlessly. I never got used to this strange kind of syncopation.

Would I recommend the book? To someone who was like me very interested in the topics, both historical and current, yes I would. Otherwise I would not.