View Full Version : Bryson Memoir
Jack Tarlin
10-02-2006, 17:55
For those interested in such things, Bill Bryson's latest book, a memoir of his childhood, will be released on 17 October 2006.
Apparently, it'll contain information on his alleged friend and hiking companion, Stephen Katz, who was featured prominently in A Walk in the Woods.
StarLyte
10-02-2006, 18:27
For those interested in such things, Bill Bryson's latest book, a memoir of his childhood, will be released on 17 October 2006.
Apparently, it'll contain information on his alleged friend and hiking companion, Stephen Katz, who was featured prominently in A Walk in the Woods.
You beat eArThworm on this find Jack? How did that happen......man she's slipping....but then she IS getting ready for the Gathering......we'll let her slide.
She still gets a cookie.
Hay Jack..Having a change of heart...The impression I got, from discussions with you, is that you didn't particulary like the guy.:-?
eArThworm
10-02-2006, 23:15
You beat eArThworm on this find Jack? How did that happen......man she's slipping....but then she IS getting ready for the Gathering......we'll let her slide. She still gets a cookie.
Let Jack take the heat for mentioning Bryson's book first. I've got a bigger announcement: Jack's going to be reading a book excerpt at my workshop, and so is Marsha, and Sly, and ... well, I don't want to give away ALL the fun. :-)
Speer Carrier
10-02-2006, 23:21
Bryson's new book is titled "The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid" It's a memoir, that recounts Bryson"s growing up in the 1950's in Iowa. It does indeed include his friend Katz. I received an advanced copy of the book this past weekend, and have only read a few pages so far.
Rain Man
10-03-2006, 10:30
Bryson wrote "Notes From A Small Island" in 1995 and mentions Stephen Katz in it. I'm reading it right now. "A Walk In The Woods" came out three years later.
Anybody else care to mention if Katz appears in other Bryson books?
Rain:sunMan
.
headchange4u
10-03-2006, 14:43
I still don't understand why everyone hates on Bill Bryson. Sure, A Walk In The Woods is not the best book out there when it comes to capturing a true image of life on the trail, but he did introduce a lot of people, including myself, to the Appalachian Trail.
I have read almost everything Bryson has written and I find him a very entertaining and funny writer.
BTW, for those of you who like travel writers be sure to check out J. Maarten Troost's The Sex Lives of Cannibals: Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific (http://www.amazon.com/Sex-Lives-Cannibals-Equatorial-Pacific/dp/0767915305/sr=8-2/qid=1159900726/ref=pd_bbs_2/104-2352796-0007922?ie=UTF8&s=books) and Getting Stoned with Savages: A Trip Through the Islands of Fiji and Vanuatu (http://www.amazon.com/Getting-Stoned-Savages-Through-Islands/dp/0767921992/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_b/104-2352796-0007922?ie=UTF8). Very funny writer.
I enjoyed reading the book too.
Not everyone liked the way the book was written and some don't even like Bryson. Some have even prevented him from speaking at the Gathering way back many years ago.
Panzer
Just Jeff
10-03-2006, 22:54
I thought it was a great book...I rarely laugh out loud when I'm reading, but I lost count of how many times I laughed at that book. But I don't get hung up on the "rules" of the trail...I think lots of people don't like the book because it's them he's making fun of!
There were a few parts I didn't like - pitching garbage and gear off the trail, for example. But it was still a great book.
DMA, 2000
10-04-2006, 16:28
I think lots of people don't like the book because it's them he's making fun of!
Hmmm...like the old woman in Hiawassee that he compared to a dog? Yeah, because nothing's funnier than mocking the elderly when their minds age. Especially when you do it in print and give enough details to identify them precisely.
StarLyte
10-04-2006, 16:37
Katz -schmatz -whatever. I hope Bryson compensated him.
DID YOU BRYSON ?
You know, the story itself was educating and entertaining---absolutely.
The problem I have with Bryson is this.......that bear picture on the book was a farce. That picture was to entice buyers while sitting in the window of a bookstore or outfitter.
Also, am I correct in saying that Bryson became FAMOUS because of the Appalachian Trail then?
In doing so, I think he should have done more for the Trail.
Speer Carrier
10-04-2006, 17:38
At the end of Bryson"s current book, "The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid", he gives a short account (a what are they doing now type thing) of those friends he writes about in the book. Of all the boyhood friends he mentions, he indicates that only one, a guy named Jed Mattes, who is now deceased is the only one to which he did not attach a pseudonym.
So perhaps in can be concluded that Stephen Katz was a real person, who spent his youth with Bryson, and later hiked with him, but that Stephen Katz was not his real name.
By-the-way, the book is quite funny, and for anyone who grew up in the 1950's it covers very familiar territory.
Just Jeff
10-04-2006, 18:17
Hmmm...like the old woman in Hiawassee that he compared to a dog?
I was talking about purists and gearheads.
Rain Man
10-04-2006, 18:24
...Also, am I correct in saying that Bryson became FAMOUS because of the Appalachian Trail then? ....
No, I don't believe you would. The guy's a prolific & humorous author. A Walk In The Woods is just one of his books. Google him. Better yet, check with your local library and read some of his other books.
Also, I imagine he had nothing to do with the cover. I don't think authors ever do.
Rain:sunMan
.
So perhaps in can be concluded that Stephen Katz was a real person, who spent his youth with Bryson, and later hiked with him, but that Stephen Katz was not his real name.
This article, http://www.itv.com/page.asp?partid=6466, mentions that Katz real name is Matt Angerer.
DMA, 2000
10-05-2006, 02:17
I was talking about purists and gearheads.
I know you were, but it's more than just wounded ego that makes people dislike Bryson. After publishing the passage to which I referred, it amazes me that Bryson has not been ostracized from decent society. As far as I'm concerned, the man is a steaming pile of feces.
bartender
10-05-2006, 05:38
You people really, and I mean really, need to get over this Bryson thing. Its a book you freaks. Just a book. You guys need to relax.
I don't understand the antipathy towards Bryson. It's a book, a pretty fair read, and while it may be guilty of a few liberties that are not atypical of the genre it is not misrepresentative of the trail experience. It is certainly in my mind the most entertaining book that I have read on the trail - moreover, my personal belief is that it is closer to an accurate portrayal of the trail than many of the "life transforming, this is serious business" works penned on the subject.
He's a good writer. The trail is good subject matter. He approached it with a refined view towards humor and experience that was different than most books previously written about the trail. The result was a best-seller, and ultimately brought a lot of awareness about the trail to many who may not have cared before.
Bill doesn't owe the trail community any more than he owes Australia for "In a Sunburned Country" or owes the British for making him famous through his extensive travel writings there. It's life. The book as a whole has been far more positive to the trail in its impact than negative.
I can see if you don't like the book or if you don't like Bill. But the book itself is no more nefarious than any other work written with an eye towards entertainment.
headchange4u
10-05-2006, 14:53
You people really, and I mean really, need to get over this Bryson thing. Its a book you freaks. Just a book. You guys need to relax.
The Bible is also just a book, but look at the influence it has brought on this world. Words (and book) can be a very powerful thing, my friend.
DMA, 2000
10-05-2006, 16:55
I don't understand the antipathy towards Bryson.
Really? My first post doesn't make it clear? If that's what you call "refined" humor, I'd hate to see what you consider base humor.
Headchange4u,
You advise, “The Bible is also just a book, but look at the influence it has brought on this world. Words (and book) can be a very powerful thing, my friend.”
If you aren’t equating the impact of “The (Holy Christian) Bible” with Bill Bryson’s “A Walk In the Woods,” you’ve certainly come very close.
This is quite amazing.
Are you Bryson's publicist?
The Weasel
10-05-2006, 17:38
The story bears repeating, although I think I posted it a while back...
During my '00 thru-hike start, about 2 weeks in I took a zero day to get some dental work done. On the shuttle back I met an elderly man who gave me his trail name - I disremember it now - but was very hesitant about his real name. He was wearing (honestly obtained, I learned) a Trail Maintainer hat, and finally admitted - looking both ways to make sure no one heard - that his name was...
... Bill Bryson. "But NOT," he said, "THAT Bill Bryson."
"My" Bill Bryson was from, I think, Maryland, and was appalled that people might think he was the man who offended so many others. His 'trail name' was, he said, an 'act of self defense.'
- The Weasel
Skidsteer
10-05-2006, 18:40
Headchange4u,
You advise, “The Bible is also just a book, but look at the influence it has brought on this world. Words (and book) can be a very powerful thing, my friend.”
If you aren’t equating the impact of “The (Holy Christian) Bible” with Bill Bryson’s “A Walk In the Woods,” you’ve certainly come very close.
This is quite amazing.
Are you Bryson's publicist?
Wow.
I didn't get that from Headchange's post at all.
terpodion
04-16-2008, 12:20
The way I see it, as someone with no bias either way, the people criticizing Bryson seem like the type who I have encountered over my many years on the trail that are a real drag and a pain in the ass to hike with. I picked up a copy of the book a couple days ago and I find nothing to warrant any condemnation of it or it's author. Considering what the governor wants to do in my home state of New Jersey (close down 9 state parks and sell the land to developers) Bryson is an environmentalist.
The history is fantastic and the writing superb but it is clear that Billyboy is an elitist who condescends to any unlike himself. My guess is that those who feel the most antipathy towards the author are those who have thruhiked themselves and have a protective attitude towards the commaraderie amongst hikers. If I recall correctly, a passage describing a particular female hiker was simply cruel. The Hiawassee bit and the aforementioned description of the female hiker cinched it for me. Bryson is a bunghole.
jersey joe
04-16-2008, 13:52
The problem I have with Bryson is this.......that bear picture on the book was a farce. That picture was to entice buyers while sitting in the window of a bookstore or outfitter.
What on earth is wrong with putting someting on the cover to try to help sell the book? sounds like marketing 101 to me...
jersey joe
04-16-2008, 14:09
Considering what the governor wants to do in my home state of New Jersey (close down 9 state parks and sell the land to developers) Bryson is an environmentalist.
In my reading, I didn't see anything about the selling of state park land to developers...where did you get this from?
BipolarStroller
04-16-2008, 16:30
Anybody else care to mention if Katz appears in other Bryson books?
.
I'm kinda reading "In a sunburned Country", but it's like sitting in a monotone lectured history class and zzzzzzzzzzzzzz huh? what? ok I'll try to pay attention:p there's some funny stuff in it, if you like making fun of people:D
terpodion
04-17-2008, 12:46
In my reading, I didn't see anything about the selling of state park land to developers...where did you get this from? http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/wb_style/buttons/quote.gif (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=596772)
It appears that Corzine is backing down now but insiders in the administration said the entire idea was pressured by developers who wanted to get rights to the large tract formerly known as Lebanon. The idea was to close it down, wait a few years and then once the public interest waned try to quietly sell it off before the public could do anything about it. Lebanon is the main target. The other eight parks were to be used as pawns to appease the public, reopen them if anyone objects. And, no you won't read about it as most of the media isn't really interested and the story can't be backed up as it was leaked by someone who is supposed to keep his / her mouth shut.
jersey joe
04-24-2008, 12:12
Sounds like a conspiracy theory...
...Budget cuts are being made all over the state, looking at cutting the funding to parks is just one of many things they looked at.
I particuarly enjoy Bryson's writings and have read or listened to a lot of his books. I like his sense of humor and his writing style.
Regarding "A Walk in the Woods" - I viewed that more as a work of historical fiction than a hiking manual. It's a story, obviously embellished at times for effect - not a field reference on hiking the AT.
One of his best is "A Brief History of Almost Everything" - great read.
The history is fantastic and the writing superb but it is clear that Billyboy is an elitist who condescends to any unlike himself. My guess is that those who feel the most antipathy towards the author are those who have thruhiked themselves and have a protective attitude towards the commaraderie amongst hikers. If I recall correctly, a passage describing a particular female hiker was simply cruel. The Hiawassee bit and the aforementioned description of the female hiker cinched it for me. Bryson is a bunghole.
Word, yo!
RiceKrispy
04-29-2008, 22:02
For the record, it was Bryson's book that first picqued my interest in the Appalachian Trail. For that reason alone, I feel somewhat indebted to him. I found it an amusing tale and read it more as if it were a work of fiction.
As far as the cover image, speaking as a published author I can attest to the fact that authors have absolutely no input as to the cover art unless the book is self-published.
I particuarly enjoy Bryson's writings and have read or listened to a lot of his books. I like his sense of humor and his writing style.
One of his best is "A Brief History of Almost Everything" - great read.
I agree, his "Brief History..." was really good. "Notes from a Small Island" is one of my favs from him. He wrote about living in Great Britain (I think his wife is British) and nailed it perfectly. I lived there for two years and his description of the country, the Brits and their customs was sooo good.
Good style and comical.
"A Walk in the Woods" was pure entertainment for me. I don't take too much too seriously anyway.