View Full Version : Bryson "hikes" in England
Brushy Sage
08-20-2006, 19:25
Bill Bryson compares hiking on the AT with going inn-to-inn in Great Britain. Article in San Francisco Chronicle:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/08/20/TRG7GKJC6N1.DTL
He says in the article:
"This is nothing like the Appalachian Trail"
How would he know?!?!?
I think he should compare with something he has actually experienced. But then again, he is comparing something he has never experienced with something else he has likely never experienced. So, on reflection, I guess that's OK then.
Never mind.
Doctari.
DawnTreader
08-20-2006, 20:01
does this mean that section hikers don't experience the at??? cuz I thought he hiked like 600 miles or something like that... do you only really experience the at if you thru hike?? I hope not, because that would mean that everything I have experienced on the at in sections isn't really experiencing the at at all???
I really hope your not serious..
Toolshed
08-20-2006, 20:22
He says in the article:
"This is nothing like the Appalachian Trail"
How would he know?!?!?
I think he should compare with something he has actually experienced. But then again, he is comparing something he has never experienced with something else he has likely never experienced. So, on reflection, I guess that's OK then....Doctari.
First as a UK Passport Carrying Loyal Subject of the Crown, might I say Bryson's a good writer so, (using your analogy) unless you've read all of his books, what would you know of what he really thinks.
Secondly (using my thoughts) is that as a 500-mile AT section hiker, and one who has tramped around the UK an awful lot over 30 years, would you consider that I know nothing of either and can not speak the least bit intelligently of either.
Your comments sound like those of a snob hiker, but (again, using your analogy), since I have never been one, I must simply not know how to identify one.
So.... Lay off Bryson. 'kay??????
StarLyte
08-20-2006, 20:27
Bill Bryson compares hiking on the AT with going inn-to-inn in Great Britain. Article in San Francisco Chronicle:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/08/20/TRG7GKJC6N1.DTL
Hey Brushy Sage - good find. I always wonder if Bill Bryson views websites like Whiteblaze. I bet.
Not to change the thread, but at least it's AT related----I recently viewed this movie: "Songcatcher (http://www.celebritywonder.com/movie/2000_Songcatcher.html)" filmed in Asheville. A great Appalachian movie.
Almost There
08-20-2006, 20:40
I saw nothing offensive about the article. I agree that the AT in the summer can be claustrophobic. I actually look forward to some pasture walking when I can get out in the sun. I also will road walk when I can get the chance, so that I can do something different. Doctari, get off the stick up your butt, Bryson section hiked..and there are plenty of people who saw him...there were some that didn't like him, but saw him all the same. Hiking in England would be a great thing to do with a spouse who doesn't want to be stinky hiker trash like I am. It's a great idea, and I think the article was to let Americans know that "going for a walk" in England is not like hiking the AT.
I don't like Mel Gibson, but I have to admit he has made some good movies.
Bryson is a good writer, and one can admit this without agreeing with everything he has written.
does this mean that section hikers don't experience the at??? cuz I thought he hiked like 600 miles or something like that... do you only really experience the at if you thru hike?? I hope not, because that would mean that everything I have experienced on the at in sections isn't really experiencing the at at all???
I really hope your not serious..
Well, all long distance hikers experience a bit of a thru hike. But it's a matter of degree. The more you do, the more you experience.
BTW, What makes you think Bryson hiked 600 miles as an AT backpacker?
You say you read the book? Do the calculations. I figure half that mileage is more accurate.
Bryson did spend some time during the summer doing up and back day hikes, which is nothing like backpacking in my experience -- but like Bryson, I didn't do much ultra-light packing.
Weary
StarLyte
08-20-2006, 21:03
Weary - I never thought about how many actual miles he did. I just knew he sectioned. I'll have to research that when I have time. Great thought.
Brain stimulation :-?
The Old Fhart
08-20-2006, 21:10
The A.T. according to Bryson
"This is nothing like the Appalachian Trail," he said as we puttered across a field of golden barley. "It's civilized and comfortable. The landscape is gentle, you can stop at a pub for lunch, and at the end of the day you can have a hot bath, a cold beer, a good meal and a soft bed. It's wimpy walking, but I like it very much."
+++++++++++++++++++
"The light packs you carry here are one of the biggest differences with the Appalachian Trail," said Bryson. "On the AT, Katz and I had to walk crouched over, looking at our feet all the time. It was like carrying a chest of drawers [the book says "wardrobe"] through the American wilderness."
+++++++++++++++++++
"When I was doing the hike with Katz, there wasn't much you could do at night but sit on a log for a while, then crawl into a tent on hard ground," said Bryson as we signaled to the waiter for another round. "This is so much more civilized."In a way, you can see why he was somewhat disappointed with the A.T. He (like a lot of others who start) had unrealistic expectations of what the A.T. was like. Maybe if there were more towns the A.T. went through, fewer mountains to climb, or if someone met him with a van at the end of each day, or if someone had clued him into ultralight hiking, or our American soil was softer, his hike and the book would have had a different outcome. I still think it is a funny book, that many people can identify with.
the goat
08-20-2006, 21:25
Bill Bryson Is A Candy Ass!!!!
Lone Wolf
08-20-2006, 21:39
Bill Bryson Is A Candy Ass!!!!
Then so is everyone who attempted a thru-hike and didn't complete it. I AM a Candy Ass.
Darwin again
08-20-2006, 21:56
It's best not to take quotes out of context. Here's the whole thing:
"This is nothing like the Appalachian Trail," he said as we puttered across a field of golden barley. "It's civilized and comfortable. The landscape is gentle, you can stop at a pub for lunch, and at the end of the day you can have a hot bath, a cold beer, a good meal and a soft bed. It's wimpy walking, but I like it very much."
The AT whipped his butt and his mind and he admits as much with that statement as well as what he wrote in his book. He's using self-deprecating humor, a rhetorical technique some Americans could benefit from trying. He's a funny writer, even if he plays to the crowd. In fact, his book was a good reflection of most hikers' who attempt to thru the AT: they don't finish and they get their butts (and/or minds) whipped. Some people never get to the point that they've had enough of the Trail, while some people reach that point at Neels Gap. Bryson had the guts to admit it when he was tapped out, and he did it in a book, which is thinly veiled fiction, that sold millions of copies.
If that's not humble, I don't know what is.
He never boasted or claimed to be a Superman Superhiker or took a haughty attitude toward other hikers (except the composite characters he assembled from the dorks he met out there). Anybody who's been through the south knows it's nothing like he made it out to be, but whaddya expect from someone who has experience living someplace other than the USA? He's bound to make comparisons and harbor prejudices, just like all of us. Or maybe it's something in the water up there in Hanover, where he lived? (heh-heh.)
Maybe it was his humility and self-deprecation that made the book so appealing to so many people? If I ever met Bryson on the Trail, I wouldn't berate him or call him a candy ass, even if that's what I thought of him. Life's too short.
the goat
08-20-2006, 22:00
Then so is everyone who attempted a thru-hike and didn't complete it. I AM a Candy Ass.
as am i!!!:eek: :eek: :eek:
Lets give it up for all the Candy Asses out there!!! :D I'm a Candy ass too and proud of it!
In my mind, Bryson's most notable acheivement was his impact on the Trail and its people. Any guesses on just how many people read it before their hikes? The discussions (like this thread) that tend to sprout up just at the mention of his name or his book. Most turn into arguements. I've met the full spectrum from people that love the man, can't stop talking about him, to others using his left behind book at a shelter as TP. What a world.
By the way........
......what's a Candy Ass?
Lets give it up for all the Candy Asses out there!!! :D I'm a Candy ass too and proud of it!Hi, my name Frosty and I'm a Candy Ass.
Anyway, I thought it was a good article about Inn to Inn hiking in Britain, and the differences between that and hte AT. (The goal of finding a town with hot food and cold beer in Britain was not so different as the goals of many thruhikers I've known. It's just that evidently you can do it more frequently in Britain.)
As far as having to backpack more than 300 miles to recognize the difference between Britain's Ridge Walk and the AT, or that you can't tell unless you backpack (vice dayhiking), I don't believe that. I've hiked less than 20 miles of the PCT in southern California, all the miles coming during day hikes, and I can tell you with certainty that it is not like the AT.
SGT Rock
08-20-2006, 23:29
Lets see, I think he made it hiking and sleeping in the woods to New Found Gap - about three weeks. And he spent some nights out in the Shenandoah's - probably about a week. And then a few nights in the Hundred Mile Wilderness. So he spent at least a month of nights somewhere on the trail sleeping and walking even if he was a candy-ass.
I think he probably has enough experience to compare it to walking around England sleeping in hotels and drinking in bars.
If a guy cut one arm off with a dull pocket knife and no pain killers to free himself from a boulder, and then later said it was the worst pain he ever experienced in his life, would you then say: "How would he know? He only ever did it once!"
How many nights on the trail qualify you. Come on people ::rolleyes:
Almost There
08-21-2006, 06:34
Excellent point, Rock!
Frolicking Dinosaurs
08-21-2006, 06:35
While I'm not a fan of Bill Bryson, in fairness I have to say he did walk far enough and stay out in the woods long enough to have experienced the AT. My problem with his treatment of the AT is that he failed to mesh with the community so he could learn the essence of that and share it with his readers. It is the people - the hikers (and their puppies), the town folk, the hostel owners, the trail angles, the outfitters - that make the AT so special. In my eyes, Bryson's book failed to do what an author should do - capture what is special about the subject and convey that to the reader. I consider his book a work of fiction for that reason - not because I doubt he he actually hiked.
Geez. The Bryson fight resurfaces. I just read "In Sunburned Country" and really enjoyed it. Bryson has a great way of mixing personal experience and historical reference in an entertaining manner. Does he engage in hyperbole to entertain his readers? Undoubtedly. However, I'd think that devout AT hikers would embrace "A Walk in the Woods". It presented a very impassioned case for preserving not only the trail, but our natural heritage in general.
He is a good story teller, and that is why he sells books - folks often read to be distracted into a subject we enjoy or are curious about, not sure why so much BBBashing. He's making money his way, which is easy to envy.
But in the article he mentions Katz, correct me here if I am wrong, but I was told that he said that Katz didn't exist (he stated this at one of the "hiker days" event somewhere) and was created for the book.
Does anybody else have comments on this?
[QUOTE=Brushy Sage]Bill Bryson compares hiking on the AT with going inn-to-inn in Great Britain. Article in San Francisco Chronicle:
like wuz said:
HOW WOULD HE KNOW????
He NEVER thru-hiked the APPALCHIAN TRAIL.
Hey, i know....let's ask KATZ what he thinks of the comparison!:D
Gray Blazer
08-21-2006, 08:18
Then so is everyone who attempted a thru-hike and didn't complete it. I AM a Candy Ass.
A candy ass, a blind, crippled jewish person from Africa who eats bugs every time you ride your harley? You are an interesting person, indeed.:rolleyes:
Lone Wolf
08-21-2006, 08:18
Why does he suck? He hiked a lot of the southern AT which can be very tough for a newbie. Thru-hiking doesn't make one an expert. 99.9% of AT hikers are section/day hikers. His books are good. I don't give a sht what Jack says.
Lone Wolf
08-21-2006, 08:22
A candy ass, a blind, crippled jewish person from Africa who eats bugs every time you ride your harley? You are an interesting person, indeed.:rolleyes:
Huh? ***?:-?
Gray Blazer
08-21-2006, 08:34
Huh? ***?:-?
Just keeping things light, as usual. Some quotes from my favorite LW posts from the past.
I really enjoyed his book a walk in the woods,It reminded me of me alot!I think people get caught up in the thru hiker mentality way to much!I noticed on my hike NC this summer I was shunned and treated fairly cold by thru hikers,What I would call the master hiker eye look.Then I stopped and was treated like a king by a group of christian teenage kids. The appalachian trail is very unique in many ways,I have not completed a thru hike but can relate to bill bryson.I have hiked thousands of miles on the AT but have decided to save the ends for a personal reason.I think his book opened up the reality to most hikers,they usually start off a thru hiker but never make it!hats off to the ones that do!I personally get bored after 2-3 months and like to mix up my hikes with exploring anymore.
Jaybird and a few others posting here seem to be precisely the people I WOULD NOT want to meet on the trail.
What is worse? A guy who writes a humourous tale of an AT thru-hike attempt, while also describing much of the history of the area (I love how Bryson does that, especially in "A Short History of Nearly Everything"), or the guy who acts so high and mighty that a thru-hike is the only way to experience the trail, and that everybody else must bow down to their greatness.
Geez.
What exactly is the mileage limit between being an idiot and a God-Of-The-Trail like you are? Does it have to happen in succession, or can it be spread over a long time? If I manage to complete all the requirements, do I get a certificate that allows me to put other hikers in their place?
(http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/076790818X/sr=8-1/qid=1156169850/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-1798508-0929648?ie=UTF8)
He's a good and engaging writer. I just can't stand his horrendous attitude towards others he met along the trail. He thought he was so much better than everyone else. He does have a self-deprecating humor (which I love). But he also went about slamming others who were just moving along on their own hike. His disrespect came through loud and clear and made it difficult for me to appreciate his AT journey.
Wrote a long reply here. Decided to not post it.
I'll not change the minds of those who liked his book & think its a real story.
You'll not change my mind about it being mostly a made up story with rare references to real events.
Let's agree to disagree.
I'll stop now.
My last post ever on BB.
Doctari.
While I'm not a fan of Bill Bryson, in fairness I have to say he did walk far enough and stay out in the woods long enough to have experienced the AT. My problem with his treatment of the AT is that he failed to mesh with the community so he could learn the essence of that and share it with his readers. It is the people - the hikers (and their puppies), the town folk, the hostel owners, the trail angles, the outfitters - that make the AT so special. In my eyes, Bryson's book failed to do what an author should do - capture what is special about the subject and convey that to the reader. I consider his book a work of fiction for that reason - not because I doubt he he actually hiked.
FD has it right. Bryson, from the evidence of his book, quickly discovered that he didn't like the trail, the trail environment or the people he met. Therefore he interacted with same as little as possible. Had he tried to understand the trail he would have produced a much better book -- and probably sold far fewer copies.
His book is a humorous bit of summer fluff. No one will remember it in a decade.
BTW, the article that spurred this latest round of comments was an excellent piece of travel writing that pretty much catches the nature of "thru" hiking in the two countries.
Weary
shades of blue
08-21-2006, 16:07
I'm just curious to all the Bryson defenders in this thread....do you think his view of the AT and it's culture is correct? What kills me is that as I hiked (and no, I'm not a thru hiker but a LD section hiker) is that everyone assumes that what Bryson wrote is the culture and truth of the AT. People are scared of the Grizzly bears on the AT because of the Grizzly on the cover of his book (of course we know they aren't in the East). Maybe his fears are exagerated, but he doesn't seem to move past that IMHO. Also...didn't he claim that he completed the AT? Something like...I don't care what anyone says...I hiked the entire AT? (This is from memory...not with the book in front of me). Hey...I'm not WD so I'm not starting a thread on the word ENTIRE.
The book was funny, and reminds me of my love for the trail...but I don't get confused and think that Bryson is an expert on the AT. However, most people who have little to no experience on the AT think he is an expert. The first thing that non-hikers say when they find out that I've hiked the AT and still hike is about Bryson. They think that is reality and that is what makes me not like Bryson or his take on the AT.
SGT Rock
08-21-2006, 16:11
Yes, well he said he hiked the AT, not he hiked the entire AT. I tend to agree, he hiked the AT.
And he made fun of his fear of bears.
He made fun of people I have met and some that I haven't but I would probably like to meet. That is about the only thing I didn't like.
But his hit on many things like gear talk on the trail or annoying people that tag on with you, right on the money.
In the end it is a story about 80% of the people who attempt a thru-hike end up. In that way it is probably an accurate description. I couldn't misss that point on my first read of the book.
RITBlake
08-21-2006, 16:36
everyone assumes that what Bryson wrote is the culture and truth of the AT.
HAHA, No. People who are part of the trail and hike the trail usually learn about the culture and the 'truth' of the A.T. by HIKING IT....ironically enough, they learn about it the same way Byrson did. The book presents his opinion and his point of view. Ask hiker 1 about dogs on the trail and ask hiker 2 about dogs on the trail and you will likely get two completely different answers. It's nothing new, everyone has their own beliefs.
peple are scared of the Grizzly bears on the AT because of the Grizzly on the cover of his book
Most writers don't design their own covers, and neither did Bryson. Can't really blame him for this.
Also...didn't he claim that he completed the AT? Something like...I don't care what anyone says...I hiked the entire AT?
Bryson isn't claiming to have thru hiked the A.T. Far from it actually. He actually says that he admires and respects the determination and drive of thru hikers and he admits in the book that he could never do it. When he says he has hiked the A.T. it means he tasted it. He sweated out some tough miles, lived the hiker lifestyle, and so on. He's not claiming to have hiked the whole thing.
However, most people who have little to no experience on the AT think he is an expert.
I think most people that read his book think that he is an author, not an expert. An author that is sharing HIS experience on the trail. The book demonstrates how tough and demmanding a thru hike attempt can be. And what's wrong with that. He is an author telling a story, nothing more then that. He never claims to be an expert and never claims to have hiked the whole trail.
By the rough numbers, if only 20% of thru hikers make it, then Brysons Book tells the story of the MAJORITY of thru hike attempts. What's wrong with that? Every time I talked with someone who was a Byrson-hater, there first response is always, 'well.....he didn't finish the trail' So what? Most people don't.
He turned his experience on the AT in to a very well rounded and entertaining book. Not only does it talk about hiking and the thru hiking lifestyle, but it gives you some history, some trivia, and some conservation information etc. All the while it's packaged in an entertaining medium.
Please, give it a rest.
....Please, give it a rest.
We would if Bryson's silly defenders would.
The Old Fhart
08-21-2006, 17:51
Originally Posted by shadesofblue68
peple are scared of the Grizzly bears on the AT because of the Grizzly on the cover of his book.RITBlake-"Most writers don't design their own covers, and neither did Bryson. Can't really blame him for this."
Actually the UK/Canadian version of the book (http://www.metrocast.net/~rjb0343/Test/AWalkInTheWoods1010030.jpg) I own has a picture of a black bear and a moose (click link). Although this cover montage looks like someone cut the photos out of a magazine with sissors instead of using Photoshop.
Maybe the graphics designer in NYC or where the U.S. version was done had only one photo of a bear and that was a grizzly.
shades of blue
08-21-2006, 18:24
Blake....thanks for the heads up with the PM....
Now....do people who hike on the trail know Bryson is exagerating, using literary license...or whatever you call it....yes, of course. But I disagree with the fact that most others know this. I can tell you that my entire family thought Bryson was the guru on the AT, as did many of the people at my school. I remember people talking about the book at Newfound Gap, and other places that aren't trail towns, but have lots of tourists. There's a thread about what things we thought about the AT that were way off the mark. Bryson perpetuates this in my opinion. Rock, you may be exactly right that he said he "hiked the AT", but the impression I took away from what he said is that he felt he had finished the AT and had completed it. Maybe I'm wrong that he said or implied that. If someone has the direct quote, I'd love to hear it, because I don't own the book.
I disagree that he can know the AT with the hike that he did. He certainly didn't do enough of the Central/Northern trail to know what it was like. Does he know what it's like to have one idea about the trail, and then it be nothing like it truly was...yes.
To me, the book was a characiture of what the AT is. Kinda like Yankees are driven people who are rude, or Southerners are slow and stupid. There may be a little truth to these things, but far and wide it's a joke, and most people know this. In my opinion, this is what Bryson did to the AT.
I don't hate Bryson...I don't blame him for quitting, or even making money off of a book on the AT. What I don't like is that the AT he described and the AT I love (bear) little resemblence to one another. Is there some truth to his words...maybe so, I've never hiked the beginning of the trail in thru-hiker season...but it seems like he sensationalized the bad/weird and left out most of the reality. That doesn't make him a candy ass....it just means I wish he would have written with humor and more kindness, not humor and cruelty to the hostels and people in the South.
RITBlake
08-21-2006, 19:00
:-?
Its so true. Hands down, one of the most common questions I was asked in town was whether not I head read Bryson, or what I thought about Bryson.
From Maine to Georiga the question came up again and again.
So maybe you are right. Most people arn't as familiar with the trail or trail life as we are, and you can't really fault them for thinking of Bryson as a guru. If he is their only connection to the trail then that becomes their reference point. If they wish to learn more about the trail then its up to them.
I think the overall point I was trying to make is this. GOOD books about hiking and the appalachian trail are so few and far between. The majority of books out there on the AT arn't much better then stuff you might read on TJ's. So to me its frustrating to see people cut down this book or the author just because he was a 'candyass' or because they think he fabricated parts of the story.
just my .02
Jack Tarlin
08-21-2006, 19:08
Actually, Blake, there are many objections to Bryson's book, the principal ones being his discourtesy and mean-spiritedness towards small town folk, especially Southerners; his casual attitude (to say the least!) regarding environmental matters, Leave No Trace ethics, etc.; his unfair comments regarding various public officials, whether it was NPS personnel, National Forest employees, ATC representatives, etc.
However, Blake, the main objection to his book is that there are so many things in the book that are simply not true. A Walk in the Woods contains
scores of factual errors, of all sorts----historical, geographical, scientific, you name it. A book of non-fiction should not have that many mistakes in it, ever, and Bryson's book was extraordinarily poorly edited and fact-checked.
My main objection to the book is simply that it's a pity that a work that has served to introduce so many folks to the Appalachian Trail is so fundamentally flawed, and so fundamentally wrong, about so many things.
SGT Rock
08-21-2006, 19:09
Sounds like CNN talking about Iraq.
RITBlake
08-21-2006, 19:17
However, Blake, the main objection to his book is that there are so many things in the book that are simply not true. A Walk in the Woods contains
scores of factual errors, of all sorts----historical, geographical, scientific, you name it. A book of non-fiction should not have that many mistakes in it, ever, and Bryson's book was extraordinarily poorly edited and fact-checked.
Fair enough. I am far from an expert on the A.T and even though Ive read his book a few times, I always read it 'as is' without doing much background research.
Being inaccurate and/or misleading is a solid reason that someone could justify for not liking Bryson or his book
But cutting down his book because Bryson didn't finish his thru hike, come on? That is a bit ridiculous.
Sounds like CNN talking about Iraq.Nice one, SGT. :sun
Actually, Blake, there are many objections to Bryson's book, the principal ones being his discourtesy and mean-spiritedness towards small town folk, especially Southerners; his casual attitude (to say the least!) regarding environmental matters, Leave No Trace ethics, etc.; his unfair comments regarding various public officials, whether it was NPS personnel, National Forest employees, ATC representatives, etc.
However, Blake, the main objection to his book is that there are so many things in the book that are simply not true. A Walk in the Woods contains
scores of factual errors, of all sorts----historical, geographical, scientific, you name it. A book of non-fiction should not have that many mistakes in it, ever, and Bryson's book was extraordinarily poorly edited and fact-checked.
My main objection to the book is simply that it's a pity that a work that has served to introduce so many folks to the Appalachian Trail is so fundamentally flawed, and so fundamentally wrong, about so many things.
Jack is absolutely correct. I don't claim thru hiker status, but I've done all of Maine several times, a lot of New Hampshire many times, parts of the south a couple of times, and spent six months and three days in 1993 walking between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Katahdin in Maine.
The trail Bryson describes has at best a superficial relationship to the trail I've hiked on and enjoyed beginning in the late 1930s and continuing through 2005. (an irregular heart beat kept me off the trail this year, but with a bit of luck, or perhaps devine intervention, I expect to be back in 2007)
Weary
halibut15
08-21-2006, 20:11
Geez people, Bryson's a travel writer, and a dang good one at that. He didn't write his book to describe the intimacies of thru-hiking, he instead wrote a great story about a person's first real backpacking trip and the problems and people he encountered on it. It's a story about backpacking and hiking in general, so don't feel so bitter that he didn't glorify the act of thru-hiking the AT in the book or even complete the whole trail. He might've been a candy ass, so so is everyone else their first time in the woods. Give him a break, and write your own bestseller if his isn't good enough for you.
Darwin again
08-21-2006, 20:23
Actually, Blake, there are many objections to Bryson's book, the principal ones being his discourtesy and mean-spiritedness towards small town folk, especially Southerners; his casual attitude (to say the least!) regarding environmental matters, Leave No Trace ethics, etc.; his unfair comments regarding various public officials, whether it was NPS personnel, National Forest employees, ATC representatives, etc.
However, Blake, the main objection to his book is that there are so many things in the book that are simply not true. A Walk in the Woods contains
scores of factual errors, of all sorts----historical, geographical, scientific, you name it. A book of non-fiction should not have that many mistakes in it, ever, and Bryson's book was extraordinarily poorly edited and fact-checked.
My main objection to the book is simply that it's a pity that a work that has served to introduce so many folks to the Appalachian Trail is so fundamentally flawed, and so fundamentally wrong, about so many things.
So put your brain where your mouth is and write a book, the definitive AT book, and right all the egregious wrongs Bryson hath, according to your view, perpetrated. Everybody's a critic. feh.
Jack Tarlin
08-21-2006, 20:24
Halibut--
You're sorta missing the point here.
In most cases, where he's talking about people he met, or problems he encountered, he is either making stuff up out of whole cloth,or is greatly embellishing things.
I for one, do not believe his hiking partner was a morbidly obese former drug dealer from Iowa; I don't believe his partner was chased out of Waynesboro by an angry husband; I don't believe Bryson and Katz (if Katz did in fact exist) stole the laces out of anyone's boots while they slept; and I could go on and on. It might make for fun reading, but I simply don't believe much of it ever happened.
Nobody's objecting to Bryson failing to glorify thru-hikers or thru-hiking.
What so many people object to is that there was simply so much in that book that was nonsense.
Lone Wolf
08-21-2006, 20:29
The Bible has ***d up more people by accident than Bryson's book ever will on purpose. It's just a friggin path. Calm down you Bryson haters. The downfall of the AT was happening long before Bill came on the scene.
The downfall of the AT was happening long before Bill came on the scene.
what do you mean? please elaborate
Lone Wolf
08-21-2006, 20:38
what do you mean? please elaborate
National Geographic articles, Wingfoot ego hikes, internet, ATC promoting thru-hikes, journal books, videos, etc., etc.
Darwin again
08-21-2006, 20:42
What so many people object to is that there was simply so much in that book that was nonsense.
Nonsense sells well, strangely enough. There's huge money in nonsense.
Bryson landed on the trail, did his thing, and disappeared. It's what he does. He panders to the crowd, plays out his little skit on the literary stage and nobody ever sees or hears from him again but most everybody paid out the 13 or 14 bucks for a copy of the book. Pretty shrewd, indeed. Rock makes a good point about CNN, too. When people who know nothing about something write about it, that's what you get. If you've ever had specialized knowledge of any subject and then seen a TV news segment about it or read a newspaper article about it, then you understand what happens most of the time; it bears no resemblance to the reality or the truth.
Sort of a hiking vaudeville act or AT snake oil salesman, Bryson has talent and it's why he's successful.
But it's been eight years since the book came out, though ... mighty long life for a flash in the pan. You'd think people would get over it.:rolleyes:
It's a story about backpacking and hiking in general, so don't feel so bitter that he didn't glorify the act of thru-hiking the AT in the book or even complete the whole trail.... Give him a break, and write your own bestseller if his isn't good enough for you. I don't think I've read any posts on this thread that accuse Bryson of disrespecting thru-hikers directly, or failing to glorify them. Most complaints seem to originate from the fact that his book is classified as non-fiction while his account has strong whiffs of fiction or at least embellishment. This could be interpreted as disrespecting the AT and backpacking in general. Who is bitter about him failing to complete a thru-hike? No crime in that. The fact that his book was a best-seller is a good reason to NOT give him a break. I enjoyed the book, but after hearing "the rest of the story" I felt a bit cheated.
Jack Tarlin
08-21-2006, 20:46
Hey Wolf, if the Internet helps contribute "to the downfall of the AT", then what are we to make of your 5,000 posts here?
In regards to the alleged "downfall" of the A.T., does this mean you're part of the problem or part of the solution?
Darwin again
08-21-2006, 20:54
This could be interpreted as disrespecting the AT and backpacking in general. ... No crime in that.
No crime in that...unless...
Unless you live in the SOUTHEAST CENTRAL APPALACHIAN 'HOOD.
(Banjo music with a hip-hop beat plays... Hikers in black sleevless hoodies and sweatpants and untied Adidas sneakers pop out from behind trees and rocks (like up on McAfee Knob. They are wearing bling. Entirely too much bling...)
"YOU DISRESPEKTIN' ME, YOU TRASH-TALKIN, NON-THRU HIKIN' SKEEZE?!"
"I'll BUSS A CAP UPSIDE YOU HEAD WITH A TITANIUM SPORK, BEATCH!!
Lone Wolf
08-21-2006, 20:56
Hey Wolf, if the Internet helps contribute "to the downfall of the AT", then what are we to make of your 5,000 posts here?
In regards to the alleged "downfall" of the A.T., does this mean you're part of the problem or part of the solution?
Part of the solution. I ain't anal or serious about it like you and others. It's just a trail kid.:)
I've heard the Katz is fiction story, that he admitted it-- I did not know.
I wish Bill would show up at a Trail Days,....... hang out in Billville and wear a Jack is a Candy Ass Tshirt!:eek: He could wear a Nean is a Candy Ass shirt, but that wouldn't be as funny. :o I forsee a picture of Bill and Jack :D together, arm in arm, 3 am, each in their Candy Ass shirts!:banana
Unless you live in the SOUTHEAST CENTRAL APPALACHIAN 'HOOD.
As long as you don't make eye-contact with any hikers with red bandanas you should be ok.;)
Frolicking Dinosaurs
08-21-2006, 21:34
I wish Bill would show up at a Trail Days,....... hang out in Billville and wear a Jack is a Candy Ass Tshirt!:eek: He could wear a Nean is a Candy Ass shirt, but that wouldn't be as funny. :o I forsee a picture of Bill and Jack :D together, arm in arm, 3 am, each in their Candy Ass shirts!:bananaYou are a prophet
Jack Tarlin
08-21-2006, 21:54
Well, at least now we know where all the fake Lebanon photos came from. :D
Watch it, F.D. They'll be comin' for you any day now!
Frolicking Dinosaurs
08-21-2006, 22:00
No way, Jack. I'd have done a better job if I was faking war photos :D
StarLyte
08-21-2006, 22:01
I've heard the Katz is fiction story, that he admitted it-- I did not know.
I wish Bill would show up at a Trail Days,....... hang out in Billville and wear a Jack is a Candy Ass Tshirt!:eek: He could wear a Nean is a Candy Ass shirt, but that wouldn't be as funny. :o I forsee a picture of Bill and Jack :D together, arm in arm, 3 am, each in their Candy Ass shirts!:banana
So this was FDino's inspiration for the photo art eh? GREAT job FD !! BTW, I am on the right side of that photo, I just cut myself out of it when I posted it onto this website. It was taken at the PA Ruck 2003. I was terrified to bring up the Bill Bryson issue, and I simply asked Jack "what's up with Bryson?" and my friend snapped the shot. I believe Jack had just given a speech at the thru-hiker bull session. I have more, but that's the best photo in the T-shirt that I have.
. . . However, Blake, the main objection to his book is that there are so many things in the book that are simply not true. A Walk in the Woods contains scores of factual errors, of all sorts----historical, geographical, scientific, you name it. A book of non-fiction should not have that many mistakes in it, ever, and Bryson's book was extraordinarily poorly edited and fact-checked. . . .
Between the date the first edition was released, and the book-on-tape was recorded, a whole conversation that Bryson claimed took place with someone at ATC regarding the double murder in SNP that summer "disappeared." Why? He got busted...the conversation, if it took place at all, did not happen as he originally portrayed it.
i thought it was a great book, and i've enjoyed some other of bryson's stuff. but there's no way katz is real. in several of bryson's books, the same thing happens -- katz is hanging out in iowa doing not much of anything and suddenly he appears to go on this trip with bryson and he's just funny as hell. it's just too convenient for bryson to have this slacker buddy who is so funny and has nothing better to do than to accompany bryson on his trips and basically makes his books readable. if katz is real, he'd better be getting a big chunk of bryson's royalties. otherwise, he's an idiot. and i agree with others who have said that bryson failed (probably because it would have required a little actual reporting and research) to capture the trail subculture in all its strangeness.
The Bible has ***d up more people by accident than Bryson's book ever will on purpose. It's just a friggin path. Calm down you Bryson haters. The downfall of the AT was happening long before Bill came on the scene.
Well, the AT remains a great trail, in some ways better than ever. But a long ways from a perfect trail. Most complain about the lack of perfection. A few work to make the trail better.
I urge that those who want to join the latter make an additional contribution to ATC:
Or open
www.matlt.org and become a volunteer or a contributor.
Or www.matc.org and contribute to the Maine Mountain Conference.
Or some other trail group. The need is great. The volunteers are few.
Weary
Funny thread. We do take ourselves seriously.
But there is an error in thinking that one has to be part of a culture in order to write about it. The opposite is true. Once one becomes part of the culture, one ascribes to the beliefs and customs of the tribe, and there is no objectivity left.
Arguably, the best histories of the US were not written by Americans, but by people like Edmund Burke and Alexis De Tocqueville.
Had he (Bryson) written from the vantage point of someone within the thruhike community, he would have been a hero among us, as several here have said. And as someone said, he would have sold fewer copies. It's like writing a book on religion. If the author is part of that religion, very little is questioned and objection to basic tenets are not even introduced, let alone discussed. It may be glorified by the faithful followers of that religion, but everyone else sees it as self-serving. A thruhiking book written by a member of the thruhiker community is like a religious tract, of interest only to the faithful.
It takes an outsider to show a culture as really is, warts and all. It may not always, or even usually, be flattering, but it is at least an appaisal outsiders can recognize as not being built on biases.
That's why Byrson's book sold so well. That and the fact that he is a professional author, already a best seller. In books as in movies, it is the presentation that draws in viewers/readers, and he presents the material very appealingly. Contrary to what someone said, his book will be around a long time. It's already been eight years, and we are still talking about it, not about any other AT book published in 1999.
I've read one book on thruhiking by a thruhiker (ON THE BEATEN PATH, by Robert Rubin) that came close to being objective, but again it was written by a professional, and I think it was written in 2000 based on a 1997 hike. I could be wrong, my copy isn't handy.
Between the date the first edition was released, and the book-on-tape was recorded, a whole conversation that Bryson claimed took place with someone at ATC regarding the double murder in SNP that summer "disappeared." Why? He got busted...the conversation, if it took place at all, did not happen as he originally portrayed it.
That jumped out at me in the book. He claimed that he walked past the murder site, thinking of what a great place it would be to camp.:( Then, the conversation with Laurie, confirming, basicly, the murders happened on the AT. :confused: I asked Laurie about this the next time I saw her. She said it didn't happen.:eek: She was probably even nicer than that and said she didn't remember ever having that conversation.
Those poor girls were not on the AT. National Park PR deemed SNP a higher priority than the AT.:-? Mr. Bryson went over the line in that matter, IMO; I still enjoyed the book, overall.
You are a prophet
haha, I knew it! ;):eek: ........................:D :rolleyes:
That jumped out at me in the book. He claimed that he walked past the murder site, thinking of what a great place it would be to camp.:( Then, the conversation with Laurie, confirming, basicly, the murders happened on the AT. :confused: I asked Laurie about this the next time I saw her. She said it didn't happen.:eek: She was probably even nicer than that and said she didn't remember ever having that conversation.
Those poor girls were not on the AT. National Park PR deemed SNP a higher priority than the AT.:-? Mr. Bryson went over the line in that matter, IMO; I still enjoyed the book, overall.
Exactly. If Bryson walked past the murder site, he was seriously lost. The abandoned horse trail that led to the womens' campsite was not blazed in 1996 and was in pretty rough shape (it has since been rehabbed, re-blazed, and is in use again). It would have required a deliberate detour from the AT out one of the Skyland access roads and across Skyline Drive just to get to the beginning of the horse trail, and then a half-mile hike descending on tread that was obviously not maintained like the AT in SNP. You can bet that if Bryson did in fact walk 100 yds. on this trail as it existed in '96, he would have had something nasty to say about it in his book.
But most importantly, during the time that Bryson claimed to be in SNP, the FBI and scores of other law enforcement personnel had closed access to the trail in question and much of the area around the crime scene. How did Bryson supposedly get past all that, without mentioning the blockades in his book?
As for that alleged conversation, ATC was united in letting the media (which was all over this tragic story) know that the crime did NOT happen on the AT. No way Laurie or anyone else in Harpers Ferry would have said otherwise, as Bryson quoted in the first printing of A Walk In The Woods.
Busted!
Funny thread. We do take ourselves seriously.
But there is an error in thinking that one has to be part of a culture in order to write about it. The opposite is true. Once one becomes part of the culture, one ascribes to the beliefs and customs of the tribe, and there is no objectivity left.
Arguably, the best histories of the US were not written by Americans, but by people like Edmund Burke and Alexis De Tocqueville.
Had he (Bryson) written from the vantage point of someone within the thruhike community, he would have been a hero among us, as several here have said. And as someone said, he would have sold fewer copies. It's like writing a book on religion. If the author is part of that religion, very little is questioned and objection to basic tenets are not even introduced, let alone discussed. It may be glorified by the faithful followers of that religion, but everyone else sees it as self-serving. A thruhiking book written by a member of the thruhiker community is like a religious tract, of interest only to the faithful.
It takes an outsider to show a culture as really is, warts and all. It may not always, or even usually, be flattering, but it is at least an appaisal outsiders can recognize as not being built on biases.
That's why Byrson's book sold so well. That and the fact that he is a professional author, already a best seller. In books as in movies, it is the presentation that draws in viewers/readers, and he presents the material very appealingly. Contrary to what someone said, his book will be around a long time. It's already been eight years, and we are still talking about it, not about any other AT book published in 1999.
I've read one book on thruhiking by a thruhiker (ON THE BEATEN PATH, by Robert Rubin) that came close to being objective, but again it was written by a professional, and I think it was written in 2000 based on a 1997 hike. I could be wrong, my copy isn't handy.
A great and true theory, perhaps, Frosty. But I saw no evidence in the book that Bryson in anyway interacted or seriously observed the AT culture. His was not an appraisal, but an ignoring.
Weary
RockyTrail
08-22-2006, 10:25
I hear talk about this Bryson fellow frequently and wonder what the fuss is about, but not enough to go pay U.S. folding money for his drivel. I have enough drivel of my own, thank you!
But I'm sure he loves the fact that people keep talking it up, it makes a big ka-ching in his bank account every time somebody does so.
LK's movie "Walking With Freedom" could do an immensely better job at describing the AT than Bryson, IMHO...too bad that doesn't have the circulation of BB.
Darwin again
08-22-2006, 10:49
One of us should write to the author of the article and get him to contact Bryson with a request that Bryson come online here and do a live thread chat.
Now that would be cool and entertaining. heh-heh.
...I've read one book on thruhiking by a thruhiker (ON THE BEATEN PATH, by Robert Rubin) that came close to being objective, but again it was written by a professional, and I think it was written in 2000 based on a 1997 hike. I could be wrong, my copy isn't handy.
ON THE BEATEN PATH, by Robert Rubin in my opinion is the best and most accurate book on the Appalachian Trail that I've seen. It's the book that best captured the trail experience, especially from the perspective of a middle-aged hiker.
Like Bryson, Rubin doesn't pretend to be writing a how to do it manual. But unlike Bryson, he captures the trail experience quite accurately.
Weary
Almost There
08-22-2006, 11:33
LK's movie "Walking With Freedom" could do an immensely better job at describing the AT than Bryson, IMHO...too bad that doesn't have the circulation of BB.
Here is a perfect example of not being objective. Sorry but aside from the fact that it appeals to thru hiker's and section hikers with many miles under their belt, I thought the movie was alright. However, for those I know that I showed it too, because I do own it....they didn't quite get certain aspects, and said that he should have shown more of certain things. Granted none of these people have more than a couple miles on the AT. Bottomline: They like the scenery, thought the music was decent, but wish that he would have let them experience more. His movie goes off the premise of stirring up memory and experience, so that if you have done it already then his movie should be special to you, if you haven't then at times it is hard to relate to.
Bryson's book is meant to be entertaining to his fans...and common Americans. Thru hikers and our community are not his target audience.
BTW, what he did is no different than when a thru hiker tells a section or day hiker that they can't possibly understand something, or when they act as if they are akin to mythic heroes. Folks, just as Wolf points out...it's a path through the forest, you get out of it what you want...just as Bryson did!:D
I take Bill Bryson's book for what it is, 99% fiction. Katz is part of that fiction as is almost the entire book. He doesn't have enough detail to show that he was really anywhere along the trail, either in descriptions of people or of the trail. He doesn't have to describe the view from Franconia Ridge, for example, because it was supposedly foggy/cloudy. He then says that he stops at the hut, saying that all the White Mountain huts are made of stone. If he'd really stopped there, he would have found that it's actually made of wood. It's just fiction, fun, enjoyable fiction. Not worth getting upset about. It's a little concerning that he now talks about Katz as if he's real. Rainbow
briarpatch
08-22-2006, 12:26
Instead of "A footpath for those who seek fellowship with the wildrness", the writer and Bryson were hiking on a trail that is "A footpath for those who seek a hot shower and a soft bed at the end of the day". Different purpose, different hike.
I have read A Walk in the Woods 3 or 4 times. I love his books. I have read quite a few of his books including is rather large one on History. He holds my interest and is an accomplished writer. As for an AT hiker, well what makes one an expert enough to comment on it??? I hiked in 2004 and made it quite far, but couldn't finish because of knee injury. Am I qualified to comment??? I think anyone who spends any amount of time out on the AT can express his or her thoughts about the trail and be ok. I love to hear others talk about it and I love to talk about my experiences. If you haven't read any or more than one of his books, you need to read them. You may change your opinion, and then again you may not.
RITBlake
08-22-2006, 13:30
people get upset because Bryson was actually critical of the trail and some of the facilities along the trail. God forbid he doesn't paint the world a perfect little picture of the AT.
as far as fabcricating the story.........IT'S A STORY. He's no different or worse then any other author. Why not make book more entertaining? Who wants to read another journal, snooze.
Lone Wolf
08-22-2006, 13:32
He described Rainbow Springs perfectly and honestly.:)
Frolicking Dinosaurs
08-22-2006, 15:07
people get upset because Bryson was actually critical of the trail and some of the facilities along the trail. God forbid he doesn't paint the world a perfect little picture of the AT.
as far as fabcricating the story.........IT'S A STORY. He's no different or worse then any other author. Why not make book more entertaining? Who wants to read another journal, snooze.Had Bryson accurately described the trail community and common events along the trail and been negative, I would not have a problem with his book.
As someone else noted earlier, many of my friends have read Bryson's book and have a distorted image of the trail as a result. Because it is not presented as fiction, people don't realize it is a fictionalized account that includes what I understand to be a totally made up main character and accounts of meetings and conversations people say never happened.
I think the man could have put forth a bit more effort and actually gotten to know a few of the groups he slammed rather than slamming them from afar - and I think he could have been a bit more forthright in admitting he was too wimpy to make a go of what hundreds of people do successfully and joyfully every year - hike long portions of the AT.
Toolshed
08-22-2006, 15:20
Wow,
We are all just pretty much walking with our crap piled on our backs. How righteous we become when someone else writes of his or her own experiences or opinions walking with their crap piled on their backs.
The rest of the world (and most Americans with exception to this board and Rec.BC) love his book(s) especially the UK.
I agree - let's keep talking about it - soon it will rank up there with other conspiracy theories
It boils down to this:
If Bryson had labeled his book as fiction, we wouldn't be having this discussion. He did not call it fiction. He tried to pass off an incomplete thru-hike as a legitimate section hike, and labeled it non-fiction. I think many of us know better, and we're a little bit miffed. With our friends who wrote books about REAL experiences on the AT in mind (but with a small fraction of Bryson's bookselling success) perhaps even a little jealous.
RITBlake
08-22-2006, 15:41
It boils down to this:
If Bryson had labeled his book as fiction, we wouldn't be having this discussion. He did not call it fiction. He tried to pass off an incomplete thru-hike as a legitimate section hike, and labeled it non-fiction. I think many of us know better, and we're a little bit miffed. With our friends who wrote books about REAL experiences on the AT in mind (but with a small fraction of Bryson's bookselling success) perhaps even a little jealous.
I think you're right, but I would also add that anyone on this board thinking that Bryson was unqualified to write his book just because he didn't thru hike the trial is ludacris. A thru hiker is no better then a section hiker. His experience was just as meaningful to him as it is to a thru hiker.
sherrill
08-22-2006, 15:47
I can't wait for the M. Smith book to come out. From the size of his thread, it'll be a blockbuster. :D
He tried to pass off an incomplete thru-hike as a legitimate section hike,
With no offense intended, and without speaking to Bryson's book itself, I would say that an incomplete thru-hike is a section hike. Just because he didn't finish doesn't mean he didn't hike.
With no offense intended, and without speaking to Bryson's book itself, I would say that an incomplete thru-hike is a section hike. Just because he didn't finish doesn't mean he didn't hike.
In theory I agree. The question, for eight years, has been: Did Bryson even do the section hike he claimed to have done?
Frankly, I don't much care whether Katz is real or not. My quarrel with the book is that he describes a trail that mostly existed in his mind. He certainly doesn't describe any trail that I've seen and worked on for a half century or more.
The reason, I think is obvious. He quickly decided thru hiking wasn't anything he wanted to do, or was going to do. But he had a book contract. He fullfilled that contract by backpacking a few hudred miles, doing a bit of library research, and day hiking an occasional mountain during the summer.
The fact that he didn't thru hike has nothing to do with whether it's a good book or not. It's a bad book because the author promises readers the truth, but fails utterly to deliver on his promise.
Weary
RITBlake
08-22-2006, 17:27
The fact that he didn't thru hike has nothing to do with whether it's a good book or not. It's a bad book because the author promises readers the truth, but fails utterly to deliver on his promise.
Weary
Exactly where on the cover or the jacket does he promise the truth?
Rain Man
08-22-2006, 17:45
I hear talk about this Bryson fellow frequently and wonder what the fuss is about, but not enough to go pay U.S. folding money for his drivel. ....
No need to pay. Just visit your nearest public library! :)
Rain:sunMan
.
Exactly where on the cover or the jacket does he promise the truth?
The book claims to be non fiction. That alone is a partial promise. The text of the book strengthens the promise.
FWIW, covers and jackets of books are advertisements aimed at getting readers to buy. It is the book itself that makes promises, if any.
Weary
Frolicking Dinosaurs
08-22-2006, 18:22
As Weary says, the book bills itself as a factual account of an attempt to hike the AT. In reality, the account seems to be primarily fiction with the author having hiked more for research purposes than to have a trip to report. That it is written in a engaging style says Bryson can write. That it talks about the historic info says he did some research. As a book read purely for entertainment, it is a fine book. However, by billing the book as non-fiction, the author promised to convey factual information about what hiking the AT is really like. As several here who have actually hiked long distances on the AT have noted, he failed to do that.
RockyTrail
08-22-2006, 18:52
Originally Posted by RockyTrail
LK's movie "Walking With Freedom" could do an immensely better job at describing the AT than Bryson, IMHO
Here is a perfect example of not being objective.
Gee... you think your opinion is more objective than my opinion?
(IMHO = in my humble opinion)
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
Sorry it doesn't fit into your particular view of the world.:sun
Exactly where on the cover or the jacket does he promise the truth?
Oh come on. Only political wags like Ann Coulter actually SAY that on the cover of their books because, I suppose, the public is suspicious of them to begin with.
But in the case of A Walk In The Woods it's billed as non-fiction, and the story purports to be a real-life attempt at thru-hiking the AT, so truth is implied. Doesn't have to actually say it's the truth on the cover and as it's turned out that's probably a good thing.
Almost There
08-22-2006, 22:13
Originally Posted by RockyTrail
LK's movie "Walking With Freedom" could do an immensely better job at describing the AT than Bryson, IMHO
Gee... you think your opinion is more objective than my opinion?
(IMHO = in my humble opinion)
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
Sorry it doesn't fit into your particular view of the world.:sun
If you read the rest of my comments I was merely agreeing with the thought that if you are in the middle of it, there is no way you can be objective. BTW, it had nothing to do with my opinion, which isn't more objective than yours. You said you thought WWF would do an immensely better job, I dissagreed as many who don't hike that I have shown it to, don't get it like I do, why? Because I am not objective, I want to like it, it brings up great memories...as I am sure it does for you. On the other hand, Bryson brings up things that may in someway be critical of the community that we love, the community that we are a part of...and that pisses many of us off. No one enjoys criticism. Sorry, if it seemed I was attacking you...You are absolutely entitled to your own opinion. I was merely stating that none of us on here are objective, we are too entrenched within the experience.
BTW, as Wolf said...Bryson did get Rainbow Springs down perfectly!
BTW, as Wolf said...Bryson did get Rainbow Springs down perfectly!
I'd have to read the book again. I pretty sure Jensine took exception. Whatever Bill's experience, I always had a good time there.
Whatever Bill's experience, I always had a good time there.
Same here Sly.:) :-? :sun ;)
Darwin again
08-23-2006, 01:34
Skyline wrote: Oh come on. Only political wags like Ann Coulter actually SAY that on the cover of their books because, I suppose, the public is suspicious of them to begin with.
Man Coulter is a liar, plagiarist, racist, xenophobe and homophobe. Her name should nary be allowed to sully these hallowed threads nor trouble our light hearts. Seems we've got our hands full with Bryson...
Almost There
08-23-2006, 09:15
I'd have to read the book again. I pretty sure Jensine took exception. Whatever Bill's experience, I always had a good time there.
Your right, he did paint the owners in a rather unflattering light, however, his description was fairly right on, and he was remembered by others as staying there, also in an unflattering light!
Same here Sly.:) :-? :sun ;)
Me to!!!!!!!
RockyTrail
08-23-2006, 09:43
. Sorry, if it seemed I was attacking you...You are absolutely entitled to your own opinion. I was merely stating that none of us on here are objective, we are too entrenched within the experience.
Ok, I understand. You do indeed have a point there.
I initially read your response as a slam-dunk rebuke of what I had just said, but I see I most likely have mis-interpreted it. Webmail is really good for that!
You're alright by me A.T., happy hiking!:sun
Man Coulter is a liar, plagiarist, racist, xenophobe and homophobe. Her name should nary be allowed to sully these hallowed threads nor trouble our light hearts. Seems we've got our hands full with Bryson...At first I thought you left the comma out after the first word in your sentence, but since I was going to give my standard "don't forget the adam's apple" remark I suddenly recognized your wordplay. Nice job.:D
Guys, no matter what you think of Bryson, remember:
Never pick a fight with a guy who buys ink by the barrel.
RITBlake
08-23-2006, 19:02
The pen is mightier then the leki pole
I take Bill Bryson's book for what it is, 99% fiction. ...It's just fiction, fun, enjoyable fiction. Not worth getting upset about. It's a little concerning that he now talks about Katz as if he's real. Rainbow
I loved the book. The first 3/4 of it was hilarious. However, I did not realize that it was fiction. We have it shelved in non-fiction, and sell a ton of it - including to future hikers. It seems to be the first book people ask for, when they are planning a thru hike of the AT. It should be listed as fiction, if it is. Deception is not ok, regardless of your profession, and especially if you are a writer. I liked Bryson's book, but I won't make excuses for him. Book deal or no, he just lost some stock in my book. :mad:
I loved the book. The first 3/4 of it was hilarious. However, I did not realize that it was fiction. We have it shelved in non-fiction, and sell a ton of it - including to future hikers. It seems to be the first book people ask for, when they are planning a thru hike of the AT. It should be listed as fiction, if it is. Deception is not ok, regardless of your profession, and especially if you are a writer. I liked Bryson's book, but I won't make excuses for him. Book deal or no, he just lost some stock in my book. :mad:
I am VERY disappointed to hear future hikers are asking for A Walk In The Woods to learn about thru-hiking. This might be the last book they should be using for trail or trail town reference, or to learn how to interract with the people or the environment associated with the AT. If you, and presumably other booksellers, are selling "a ton of it"--as a first choice--to prospective thru-hikers it might be one of several factors to explain the increase in bad hiker behavior the past few years.
As for shelving it as non-fiction, that's what the author and book publisher claim it is. I think many of us would argue with that claim, and now that you have read this thread perhaps you will agree. If so, making an executive decision to move it to the fiction shelf might be a great idea. As a piece of fiction, so long as the reader acknowledges it is fiction, it's a pretty good book IMHO. I hope when and if the movie version comes out they make it crystal clear it is fiction, and incorporate some kind of LNT admonitions within the film.