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“This smart, endearing book is not just about a picaresque and probably ill-advised adventure; it’s a story about us—who we are and how we came to be that way…Buck finds his way deep into our nation’s DNA.”
— Hampton Sides, New York Times bestselling author
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“Buck brings the land to life…His exploration of America and himself is a joy to read.”
— USA Today (4 out of 4 stars)
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“Weaving a tale somewhere between a travelogue and a history lesson, Buck traces the iconic path literally and figuratively as he re-creates the great migration with his brother and a Jack Russell terrier.”
— Entertainment Weekly
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“Absorbing…Winning…and unpretentious.”
— New York Times
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“Charming, big-hearted, impassioned, and a lot of fun to read…His rapturous account will still leave you daydreaming and hungry to see this land.”
— Boston Globe
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“This book is a keeper…[A] rollicking good read, a book that’s as much fun as the Brothers Buck seem to be as they travel from Missouri to Oregon by covered wagon…Observant, conversational, and often funny.”
— Seattle Times
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“Interwoven in Buck’s adventure tale is a fascinating history of the development of the trail, its heyday, and the colorful characters that made the journey…Readers are sure to be delighted by this humorous and entertaining story that allows us to believe that Walter Mitty–like fantasies can indeed come true.”
— Associated Press
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“Buck endures heat, dust, flooded rivers, and dangerous storms…He layers his account of this four-month road trip with family stories, elucidating history lessons and inspired side trips into twenty-first-century America.”
— BBC.com
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“A crazy whim of a trip on a covered wagon turns into an inspired exploration of American identity…The journey…allowed the brothers to reconnect over childhood memories and with the American land they cherished. By turns frankly hilarious, historically elucidating, emotionally touching, and deeply informative.”
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
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“Skillfully weaving historical anecdotes into his story, Buck has crafted a winning account of an improbable modern-day pilgrimage.”
— BookPage
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“Rinker Buck sucks the listener into his ‘see America slowly’ trip … a crazy, arduous, and sometimes dangerous adventure completely out of its time…Hilarious and heartwarming.”
— AudioFile
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“Buck’s lean prose, historical insight, and penetrating curiosity elevate The Oregon Trail into an instant classic that deserves a place on your bookshelf between Bryson and Horwitz. A master storyteller and dogged reporter, Buck gives substance to an unrelenting wanderlust that is the envy of anyone who has ever dreamed of lighting out for the territories.”
— Bob Drury, coauthor of The Heart of Everything That Is