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Reviewed by Stephanie Dagg for Readers' Favorite
"Strapped into an American Dream" by Glenn Maynard is the account of a year-long journey beginning in 1992 that the author and his new bride Tracy made. Tracy’s dog Molly came along too. In their 1978 Dodge Rockwood, they visit all 48 of the contiguous states in America and also Canada and Mexico. It recounts how they prepared for the trip, what happened to them during it, and how it left them afterwards. They were no longer the same people. In fact, “We felt different the moment we pulled away,” the author writes. The couple cope with breakdowns, bugs, gas bottles blowing up and tornadoes; they revel in exploring their homeland and its history, finding free campsites and budgeting carefully. They encounter many fascinating and pleasant people, and some who are not, and decidedly feel more welcome in some States than others.
The book is very well-written and carries you along. The author has a conversational tone. You often feel you are there with him and his wife in the cramped van, or looking at a moving sunset. This travel memoir is not just about discovering America, but about self-discovery too. It is thought provoking. Maynard compares the “road of life” with “life on the road” and the experiences that each leads you to. It is about life travel. My only criticism is that there has been such a long delay before publishing this edition. It has lost some immediacy because of that, but it is nonetheless an interesting read. You have to admire people who take the plunge, who seize the day and live their dream, whatever that might be.
