Eric Dregni

The Impossible Road Trip by Eric Dregni is a fun look at those strange roadside attractions from, mostly, days gone by.

If you're of a certain age and made a lot of trips around the country this book will be as much a trip down memory lane as a look at peculiar landmarks. During the 60s and early 70s we drove across country at least once a year no matter which coast we were stationed on (I was a Navy brat). With relatives and family friends in California, Maryland/DC, Florida, and show more Louisiana/Arkansas we seemed to always be in a car, and these strange sights made a young child insist on stopping periodically.

Even if you've only seen a couple of these you will likely remember the type of attraction, usually oversized and with an odd theme. Some, like South of the Border, you'll remember even if you never actually visited because you couldn't miss all the billboards.

What makes the book fun no matter what your history with such places might be is the many pictures accompanied by brief but informative descriptions. I also found the many graphics that compared things, such as sizes of Paul Bunyons or oversized hats, helpful in putting things in perspective. Especially if I had visited at least one of the places. From that one place, with the help of the graphic, I could picture just how big some of the other attractions were.

Whether this will be nostalgic for you or not I think most readers will find a lot of interesting places and origin stories here. People do the darndest things.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. show less

I flat-out adored this book, but it's probably because I'm really, really biased. Like me, Eric Dregni is a Norwegian-American who grew up in the Twin Cities. While getting his MFA in Creative Writing at the U, Dregni wins a Fulbright Scholarship that allows him and his wife to live in Trondheim, Norway for a year. He then writes about his experiences and publishes this book, which is a funny and fascinating memoir about exploring the culture of your ancestors. I honestly think that anyone show more would enjoy this, as it is extremely well written, but it's really a must-read if you have Norwegian blood running through your veins. There is an entire chapter devoted to lutefisk that is not to be missed. show less

The Scooter Bible by Eric Dregni is everything one could hope for in one book: nice history, excellent illustrations, and a great encyclopedia.

My experience with scooters is fairly limited but I have had a fondness for them from many of the films I watched and eventually studied. This book more than answered all of my questions and I absolutely loved all of the pictures of older advertisements.

This will also serve as a great resource, the encyclopedia part of the book is handy and far more show more thorough than I expected. In some ways, the first half(ish) of the book is for reading while the second is for reference, though I found myself going from skimming it to reading most of the entries. And yes, I was that nerd growing up that used to take one of the Encyclopedia Britannica volumes to my room to read.

Whether you have owned and loved scooters or you're more interested in their history for other reasons, you will find a lot here to enjoy and will come away with a new or renewed love of them.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. show less

This was an entertaining little read! Not all of the spots highlighted really would float my boat, but I'm sure everyone can get something out of them. The pictures were the highlight for me; the overviews provide a nice little summary of each, and would definitely help anyone planning a road trip decide whether or not to stop.

Florida's Solomon Castle, Louisiana's St. Valeria of Milan, Nebraska's Carhenge, Arizona's London Bridge, and Area 51 particularly stood out to me as potentially worth show more visits if I'm in the area.

I'll admit I was a little bummed the author hadn't personally visited all the places included, but oh well. Still a fun high-level overview!

I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own. show less