The Mailman

My Wild Ride Delivering the Mail in Appalachia and Finally Finding Home

De: Stephen Starring Grant

Narrado por: Stephen Starring Grant

An exuberant, hilarious, and profound memoir by a mailman in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, who found that working for the post office saved his life, taught him who he was, gave him purpose, and educated him deeply about a country he loves but had lost touch with.

Steve Grant was laid off in March of 2020. He was fifty and had cancer, so he needed health insurance, fast. Which is how he found himself a rural letter carrier in Appalachia, back in his old hometown.

Suddenly, he was the guy with the goods, delivering dog food and respirators and lube and heirloom tomato seeds and Lord of the Rings replica swords. He transported chicken feed to grandmothers living alone in the mountains and forded a creek with a refrigerator on his back. But while he carried the mail, he also carried a whole lot more than just the mail, including a family legacy of rage and the anxiety of having lost his identity along with his corporate job.

And yet, slowly, surrounded by a ragtag but devoted band of letter carriers, working this different kind of job, Grant found himself becoming a different kind of person. He became a lifeline for lonely people, providing fleeting moments of human contact and the assurance that our government still cares. He embraced the thrill of tackling new challenges, the pride of contributing to something greater than himself, the joy of camaraderie, and the purpose found in working hard for his family and doing a small, good thing for his community. He even kindled a newfound faith.

A brash and loving portrait of an all-American institution, Mailman offers a deeply felt portrait of both rural America and the dedicated (and eccentric) letter carriers who keep our lives running smoothly day to day. One hell of a raconteur, Steve Grant has written an irreverent, heartfelt, and often hilarious tribute to the simple heroism of daily service, the dignity and struggle of blue-collar work, the challenge and pleasure of coming home again after twenty-five years away, and the delight of going the extra mile for your neighbors, every day.

Reseñas de la Crítica

“A love letter to the Blue Ridge Mountains, a participant observer’s ethnography of a rural post office, an indictment of government austerity, and a witness statement attesting to the remarkable and at times ruthless efficiency of one of our oldest federal bureaucracies. Not least, Mailman is a lament for the decline of service as an American ideal....[Grant] proves to be a compelling and empathetic guide, observing his country and its citizens, not just himself, with open and unjaded eyes.”
—The Atlantic

“A love song to America’s least understood treasure. I will never take my mail carrier for granted again.”
—David Von Drehle, New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Charlie

“An entertaining and illuminating read….Grant is a great storyteller and a wonderful writer — lyrical, descriptive and honest. He’s fervent in his belief that the U.S. Postal Service is necessary, impartial and downright patriotic.”
—Laurie Hertzel, The Washington Post

“Mailman pulses with humor and the beauty of simple, everyday courage. In the heart of a small mountain town, Steve Grant’s route as a rural mail carrier becomes a journey of personal redemption, of finding purpose and dignity.”
—Jonathan Safran Foer, New York Times bestselling author of Everything is Illuminated

“Warm and oddly patriotic....this unpolished but perceptive book kept me turning the pages....Grant’s book has a rough authority. A working-class hero is something to be.”
—Dwight Garner, The New York Times

“People like to make fun of the Postal Service for being late with deliveries. Well, this book could not be more timely. I needed this reminder that Americans can commit to the greater good, that public servants can be heroes, and that our crazy-quilt culture is a strength, not a weakness. Thank you, Mr. Mailman.”
—AJ Jacobs, New York Times bestselling author of The Year of Living Constitutionally

"Mailman takes readers on a wild ride... as Grant pulls back the curtain on the U.S. Postal Service, revealing its foibles and idiosyncrasies alongside its stalwart heart."
—Southern Review of Books

“If you’ve ever fantasized about ditching your corporate job for a quieter life in the country, Mailman could be the memoir for you…. Grant’s honesty and humor… have me hooked.”
—Garden & Gun

“A charming book that’s guaranteed to make you think differently about the USPS.”
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"A coming-of-age (at middle age) story... Mailman more than delivers."
— Booklist (starred review)

Great listen! Interesting on many levels

Grant covers a lot of ground (no pun intended) in his memoir. He skillfully weaves...oh, just about everything...into a cohesive memoir that is ostensibly about his year of being a mailman on a rural route.

If you ever wondered about the inner workings and history of the Post Office, there's enough here to keep a reader happy. Also enough to keep a memoir reader happy. The memoir portion hits all the usual subjects (love, loss, place, alienation, politics, funny stories, heartwarming stories, religion, health, mental health, etc.).

There was the perfect amount of everything.

Well written and well performed.

A re-newed appreciation of our mail service men & women

I laughed, I cried, but most of all I loved riding along & delivering the mail with Steve. His memoir reminds me of how life takes us on journeys that bring us back to the basics of family, community and our own personal spirituality.

US Postal Service workers as heroes!

This is a wonderful memoir of one man’s time working for the US Postal Service and how it brought him a personal peace and reunited him with his roots.

The humility

I loved this book. I will be honest though, I am extremely biased. I’ve been a letter carrier for 10 years. I loved to hear his journey being so naive about what he was getting himself into, but conquering it. And with cancer?!?! I thought that would be more of a storyline. Regardless, he made me feel extremely prideful in what I do since it is an extremely thankless job. Well done. His narration was awesome. Thank you my brother!! Hopefully it gives insight to people who have no idea.

Funny and patriotic

An antidote to JD Vance’s Hillbilly Elegy. Funny, patriotic, insightful, and inspiring. Relatable ride through Appalachian town.
I think a lot of people can relate to midlife job crisis, starting over unexpectedly. Fun to hear author read it. He’s a natural story teller. Recommend.

Mail carrier

Loved the book! It was a good representation of being a mail carrier! Good read

Enjoyed this trip back home

I bought this because I am a proud Hokie. It was an interesting and enjoyable look at postal life, and it was nice being taken back home to Blacksburg.

Thank you mail deliverers!!!

What an unexpected and important book. I’m ashamed to say I don’t give much thought to this aspect. That is so vital to our day-to-day lives. I appreciate the authors vulnerability and sir. I loved your book.

EXCEPTIONAL

This memoir covers far more ground than I thought it would. From the nuts and bolts and complexities of how mail is delivered to guns, dogs, America, history, love, redemption, religious ecstasy and more, I was never bored. It gave me a feeling of deep satisfaction. I “read” the audiobook, which is narrated by the author who does an outstanding job. I couldn’t stop talking about this book and now my husband is reading it while I re-listen to it so we can talk about it. Thank and respect your mail carriers! It’s one tough job.

I call bullshit

the story about hauling the fridge and freezer across a creek barefoot- bullshit! You think very highly of yourself sir, but you're no hero, and definitely not some kinda super human hero.