“I like to think of Vamper humming along the highway, taking happy people to happy places.”
After retirement, George Critchlow, a retired law professor, isn’t quite sure what he wants to do in life. He decides to go on an adventure by himself to see if seeing the country will help him figure out how to spend his retirement. He decides to get an RV, but the costs involved have him decide to get a van that is outfitted like a camper – Vamper as he names it. He starts his journey in Washington State with only a few dates and destinations pre-determined to meet up with family. He is free to roam and take whichever road he fancies.
The author requested a review of his book, Travels with Vamper, through my Web site. I was given a free copy of the book in exchange for a fair review. I thought the book sounded interesting, as he would be writing his thoughts about his journey across the country.
While the author does tell some about the places he visits, he tends to focus more on social issues and asking people about the current election (Hillary Clinton vs. Donald Trump). He makes no attempt to hide his own bias against Trump, including an epilogue after the election is decided where he tells his reservations about a Trump presidency. He includes an argument he has with a couple about the election and only blames Trump for their divisions, not giving Clinton any credit for also being part of the divisiveness. He also reinforces stereotypes by describing the small pieces of America he sees. A brief stop in the South where he sees people going to a restaurant after church assumes that lunch after church is a segregated event. I have lived in the South and that is not an overarching truth.
I would have enjoyed this book a lot more if there were more focus on the journey and the places he visited and less on politics and social issues. He talks about race, economic status and immigration with brief glimpses in a town or talking with one person and then tying that to a story from his past days as a lawyer. People who enjoy reading personal memoirs and journey stories would like this, but they will like it more if they agree with his liberal standpoints.
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