IchbinJay
09-08-05, 05:19 PM
Anyone read this memoir by Travis Culley? It'd be especially interesting to hear what any messengers from Chicago have to say about it.
Books, Movies, Music & Entertainment - The Immortal Class?
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Serpico
09-08-05, 06:04 PM
go run a search in the ss/fg forum, this book has been discussed a few times
it's a good book, and the author is a great writer--but the last 1/3 of the book is all political crap
I just gave it to my brother who is 'living car free' :) in Chicago, he liked it
it's worth reading <--the simple answer
it's a good book, and the author is a great writer--but the last 1/3 of the book is all political crap
I just gave it to my brother who is 'living car free' :) in Chicago, he liked it
it's worth reading <--the simple answer
Mars
09-08-05, 07:16 PM
I read the book too and liked it. I have read in other places that the Chicago messengers mostly don't like him and think he's a big windbag. Too bad, I still thought it was a good cycling centered book.
IchbinJay
09-10-05, 10:57 AM
Yeah, I thought it was VERY good, I think the political angle towards the end of it gave it a lot more point and direction in the writing. It almost tied the whole memoir together. That's interesting that you say his 'comrades' find him to be a windbag. I wonder if any of the people he mentioned in the book felt that way? Does anyone know any of the people mentioned in it?
ViciousCycle
09-10-05, 10:20 PM
Travis originally intended to write a book that would describe the lives of many different Chicago messengers. But then the publisher wanted the book to be written as a first-person narrative so that it read more like one big story. This probably caused some messengers to feel slighted, with their "15 minutes of fame" essentially erased.
As a Chicago cyclist, I enjoyed this book. There are sections of the book that bring alive how you can see the city through fresh eyes when viewed from behind handlebars. Some people may like the material where he talks about transportation policy and politics, and others might want to skim/skip over it. Some people will pan the book because they have some disagreement with the politics in the book. But I know that it's possible to enjoy a book even when you have political differences with the author. i.e. I somehow enjoyed David Brooks' Bobos in Paradise even though Brooks' politics are quite different than my own.
As a Chicago cyclist, I enjoyed this book. There are sections of the book that bring alive how you can see the city through fresh eyes when viewed from behind handlebars. Some people may like the material where he talks about transportation policy and politics, and others might want to skim/skip over it. Some people will pan the book because they have some disagreement with the politics in the book. But I know that it's possible to enjoy a book even when you have political differences with the author. i.e. I somehow enjoyed David Brooks' Bobos in Paradise even though Brooks' politics are quite different than my own.