The New American Road Trip Mixtape

In Chaos Theory a change event is triggered when a dynamic system receives a kick and fundamentally changes a predicted outcome. Brendan’s strange attractor was heartbreak and he hit the road swinging towards an equilibrium that exists somewhere in the American West.

This isn't the manifesto for Gen Xers so much as it is an honest, personal, and raw story that doesn’t give any concrete answers only a “what if” scenario that we have all imagined. What if I just distill my life to the things that facilitate adventure and the things that keep my teeth clean?

Unlike most travel books this one seems different because you get the sense that this is an “adult” adventure. Chris McCandless was a college grad out to chase his idea of freedom but Brendan hit the road with a full time job and a head full of unanswered questions.

The moments where we get a double shot of vulnerability show the author at his best. Anyone that has ever been hurt or did the hurting will empathize. Brene Brown famously said that the difference between guilt and shame by saying the guilt is saying, “I made a mistake” and shame is saying, “I am a mistake.” Brendan takes the latter hits the road to make us laugh and break our hearts.

Don’t expect a tidy ending with a resolution wrapped up in a succinct statement – this boat is not borne back by the tide so much as it is full sail into whatever is next. For the sake of all of us, I hope we get a next from this author.

Brendon Leonard is my hero. I am almost 70 and his story is amazing to me. His book, Sixty Meters to Anywhere, should be mandatory in high school. He writes so well, and his books are interesting.

Love Brendan's other writings but this was just disappointing. Was really looking forward to this and had a hard time finishing it! Bummer. Every chapter was about the same relationship and comparing himself to incredible writers(?!) Time to get over it and stop over-analyzing life. Plus, if you are on a roadtrip and you are a climber...get some stuff done! I don't care what grade but there wasn't even any camping/climbing. It was couch surfing and parking lots and groundhogs day about a previous relationship.

As soon as I heard of this climber road-trip book, I snatched it up. I had seen a few of Leonard's writings online and couldn't wait to see what adventure writing he produced here. Instead, I found a poorly-written work with the primary goal to inundate the reader with complaints about his recent break-up with his girlfriend. I am still surprised by how little Leonard writes about climbing and hiking, Instead, he goes on and on about his situation as a homeless, newly-single man, comparing his relationship status with those of his friends he stays with along the way. He tries to get deep by repeating the questions "What is a life?", but never really attempts to answer the question. Furthermore, instead of standing on his own intellectual merit or his literary prowess, he constantly quotes Kerouac and others when he cannot think of what to say. Parts of the book suffer from so many quotations that it feels like an essay from a student who resorted to block quotes because he couldn't make the page length.

As a climber who has been on a cross-country road trip, I really, really wanted to like this book. Instead, I was thoroughly disappointed the entire way through by an author who has nothing to say.

Based on the first few pages, I was expecting something deeper I can truly benefit from--not a daily diary of rock climbing, rock climbing, and rock climbing. I stopped around page 60 or so. Have too many books to read on my list to waste time.

IN BEFORE SOMEONE CALLS ME A MORON AND THAT I MISSED THE POINT. No, I didn't miss the point. I get it. I just don't care to live out of a car and go against the norm. It's cool if temporary, but I have zero interest in this perma-on the road lifestyle. A trip is one thing, and super rad--to live out of a car for the rest of my life? lol Lets get real here. I don't know, man--I may pick this book back up at a later time--I just can't believe how many page fillers of rock climbing there is. It's too much. It's too redundant. I felt like I was going nowhere, ironically. I couldn't. I can't.

SPOILER ALERT:
I almost felt like his lifestyle of living out of a car was a cop out of facing life. How do I know he lives out of his car? I read the last two pages, and the page after the end stating he lives out of his van.

This book frequently mentions Kerouac and Steinbeck as sources of inspiration. Kerouac captured a unique slice of Americana in On the Road with a fast, frenzied jazz-inspired style of writing. Steinbeck wrote about small town life and the characters he came across in strong, eloquent prose that pulls the reader in. This book has nothing of either of those.

It starts with a breakup, the author takes great pains to explain his relationship breakdowns in the beginning, goes into great detail explaining how little possessions he needs to be happy, and seems to use his determination for keeping his aging Subaru going as further proof of how un-materialistic he actually is.

This book is based on his climbing adventures throughout the American west, but even when he visits places I know (I don’t climb though) I found myself bored with this book. He doesn’t focus on people he meets along the way or observe others (except one section where he describes a woman who makes eye contact with him in a pizza parlor that reads like a missed connection ad), he just basically gives relationship summaries of the friends that let him visit or go on climbs with him.

The writing is flat, the ex-girlfriend is mentioned almost every page, there is no insight contained within these journeys, he just basically documents how anxious he is about his future, and then there are block quotes from literature and songs. His laundry list of what his new girlfriend should be (“You like bears” “You can be inspired by anything”) was just too much for me. His agonizing over whether he wants kids was worse than any I’ve heard from any women I know (his statement that after 35 it’s over if you want kids just seems so bizarre to me!). He just comes across as lost and indecisive, unable to really think and reflect deeply (at least in written form) and that’s why with about 40 pages to go I just stopped reading. Maybe if you are really into climbing you might be amused by those passages where he describes his climbs, but the rest of this book just feels like an adolescent’s attempt at mimicking his literary heroes.

*I know some people will read this book and think of it as a bit of a stereotypical millennial narrative with it’s “all about me” focus, lack of direction and utter avoidance of responsibility. Well, I’m a millennial and I couldn’t stand this book either.

What is a life? I love the way this theme keeps coming up - and how the author, Brendan Leonard, does a masterful job in surfacing it at the most opportune times in his awesome book. This is a wonderful journey - in miles, time, and growth - that reminds me occasionally of some of the wonderful books of Mr On The Road - Charles Kuralt. Brendan has me laughing at times, pausing and thinking deeply at times, and other times just enjoying his journey across the American West. He has wonderful, flowing, writing style I find very enjoyable. Reading this book, not only will you learn a lot about Brendan, but a lot about yourself.

About 110% of the road trip experience is something other than driving with a sunset in the rear view, an organized back seat, a hot girl over your shoulder, and a comfortable bed expecting you for the night. Leonard has perfectly captured the true essence of a life on the road, replete with the difficulties--emotional and other--of what it means to commit (part of) one's life to a theme.
And although seemingly contradictory, positivity is rampant throughout the book. He guides the reader in a direction that they should consider, regardless of whether or not they have, which is applicable to absolutely any lifestyle.
It's a quick read that was hard to put down, and I think that'll be true for anyone from any background living any lifestyle.

I love this guys blog but didn't make it through half of this book. I may try again to read it but check out the blog

I've been reading Brendan's blog, Semi-Rad.com, for some time now and it was a real treat to read a full length book by him. It's thoughtful, insightful, and from the soul. One feels that they are in the passenger's seat on a road trip with him. I highly recommend this book to anyone.