Jim TullyReviews
Author of Beggars of Life: A Hobo Autobiography
16+ Works 231 Members 6 Reviews 1 Favorited
Reviews
Beggars of Life: A Hobo Autobiography by Jim Tully
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datrappert | 2 other reviews | Apr 25, 2017 | 1924. A rollicking good tale of life on the road. Tully tells it like it was. He basically goes around begging and stealing and trying not to get too mixed up with the rougher criminal types. His depictions of incidents involving black people show the brutal way they were often treated among white hoboes and in society in general. It's not a nice or genteel book. He frequents brothels and isn't too kind to the women there, but neither is he entirely an unfeeling beast. He seems to be trying to report a faithful record of what happened, through a lens of his own prejudices, which I can only imagine must have been fairly typical of the time period. People are beaten frequently, injured and killed on the trains, and he witnesses a lynching at one point. It's a bit graphic sometimes. Overall, an interesting window into another era.
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kylekatz | 2 other reviews | Aug 17, 2014 | One of the great hobo writers of all time. When I read this I immediately feel present and tully is truly an unknown gem.
recommended for anyone who enjoys older novels, down and out lit, the old west or people who dig riding freights
recommended for anyone who enjoys older novels, down and out lit, the old west or people who dig riding freights
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iatethecloudsforyou | Dec 14, 2010 | Makes me want to join the circus and demand them to invent a time machine to take us back to the 30s so we could have real fun.
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iatethecloudsforyou | Dec 10, 2010 | Not really a sports reader but this book just brings you in and ties you down really quickly. tully is an amazing writer. i would never think i wouldve enjoyed a book on boxing so much alas tully has made me rethink. check out his other work as well.
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iatethecloudsforyou | Dec 10, 2010 | There's some good anecdotal stories here but not much for plot; the chapters are snapshots of a life on the rods tied up in the end with a bit of socio-cultural commentary. What's most interesting about this book is the fact it's been out of print for decades and this publisher (Nabat) has spent time researching the archives of the Library of Congress to find books of this nature and republish them (i.e. You Can't Win by Jack Black - highly recommended). A publisher myself, and very interested in American history-culture-society, this strategy appeals to me.
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NateJordon | 2 other reviews | Feb 26, 2009 | This site uses cookies to deliver our services, improve performance, for analytics, and (if not signed in) for advertising. By using LibraryThing you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Your use of the site and services is subject to these policies and terms.