How to Hitch a Ride With No Thumbs


Book Description

Clothing for every possible weather event-- check. Personal necessities-- check. Wide assortment of microphones-- check. Stereo recorder for spooky midnight podcasting-- check. Inaccurate maps of 'The Kanc'-- check. Formalwear-- check. If you have all of the above items packed, you are ready to accompany Senator and Wendy V on another book's worth of adventures. Enjoy the drives, the hikes, and the rides. You can even hang your head and hands outside the car.




Hitchhiking in America: Using the Golden Thumb


Book Description

"Though it tends to be looked down upon as a trivial activity confined to vagrants, the feeble-minded, sex maniacs and serial killers, hitchhiking needs to be re-valued as a means to an end (transportation and self-education) and as an end in itself (as suggested by Jack London's wonderful paragraphs quoted at the top of p. 35).""This is a source book, not just a casual handbook, and by its appeal to a long tradition it gives hitchhiking well-deserved stature. People have been hitchhiking since the first vehicle - probably a raft - was invented.Odysseus hitchhiked, St. Paul hitchhiked; anyone who hitchhikes today is keeping alive an ancient and honorable tradition and your book will help readers put modern hitchhiking into its particularly American context."Prof. Daniel H. GarrisonDepartment of Classics, Northwestern University -Presenter of a lecture that students refer to as "Hitchhiking as an Art Form."




The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms


Book Description

From “all systems go” to “senior moment”—a comprehensive reference to idiomatic English. The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms explores the meanings and origins of idioms that may not make literal sense but play an important role in the language—including phrasal verbs such as kick back, proverbs such as too many cooks spoil the broth, interjections such as tough beans, and figures of speech such as elephant in the room. With extensive revisions that reflect new historical scholarship and changes in the English language, this second edition defines over 10,000 idiomatic expressions in greater detail than any other dictionary available today—a remarkable reference for those studying the English language, or anyone who enjoys learning its many wonderful quirks and expressions. “Invaluable as a teaching tool.” —School Library Journal




Unhomed


Book Description

"In this rich cultural history, Pamela Robertson Wojcik examines America's ambivalent and shifting attitude toward homelessness through a close study of film cycles from five distinct historical moments that show characters as unhomed and placeless, mobile rather than fixed: failing, resisting, or opting out of the mandate for a home of one's own. From the tramp films of the Silent Era to the Oscar-winning Nomadland in 2021, Wojcik shows how film cycles reveal a tension in the American imaginary between viewing homelessness as, on the one hand, deviant or threatening, and, on the other, emblematic of freedom and independence. Blending social history with insights drawn from a complex array of films, both canonical and fringe, Wojcik effectively 'unhomes' dominant narratives that cast aspirations for success and social mobility as the focus of American cinema, reminding us that genres of precarity have been central to the American cinema (and American story) all along"--




Lightsabers, Batmobiles, and Kryptonite


Book Description

Come meet some of the world's biggest superheroes and villains and discover whether you have what it takes to be one in this exciting, interactive ebook by the curious minds at HowStuffWorks. You picked out your superpower years ago. You can change into your costume in seconds. You could take out a Sith Lord with your lightning-quick lightsaber moves. Not so fast! Before you can start vanquishing bad guys, it's important to be schooled in the science of saving the world. In Lightsabers, Batmobiles, and Kryptonite, the team at Discovery's award-winning website HowStuffWorks.com reveals the science behind your favorite superheroes and supervillains and their ultracool devices and weapons, from Batmobiles and warp speed to lightsabers, Death Stars, and kryptonite. This interactive ebook also explores other cool technologies from the science fiction realm such as liquid body armor, replicants, and invisibility cloaks. Discover: How Batman and the Batmobile really work 10 Star Trek technologies that actually came true If warp speed and lightsabers can really exist Whether Superman would win against Harry Potter, Sith Lords, and even Chuck Norris! How new liquid body armor can make us superhuman And more! Packed with podcast clips, interactive quizzes, videos, photos, and trivia tidbits, Lightsabers, Batmobiles, and Kryptonite will prepare you to do battle with the world's most evil masterminds.




Letters to Kevin


Book Description

In this fictional prose novel, reminiscent of Scorsese's After Hours, a New York man goes on a nightmare-logic adventure when he tries place a phone call. Rudy, a goodhearted fellow in New York, has been trying to phone Kevin Wafer, a kid he knows in Palo Alto, California. Only trouble is, one thing or another keeps getting in the way. For starters, Rudy doesn’t have a phone in his apartment, and he can’t manage to get a dial tone on his pillow or his alarm clock. When he tries to use a pay phone, the phone booth gets carried off by a crane, deposited in a warehouse, and left with Rudy trapped inside. What’s worse, the only repairman who shows up can’t help because he’s due to leave on his vacation and won’t be back for a month. Rudy tries to call for help, but all he can get on the line are other people locked inside other phone booths located other in warehouses all over the world. The only sensible thing for Rudy to do is to sit down with his trusty portable typewriter and write Kevin a letter, telling him what’s happened. Like Bob Dylan’s “115th Dream,” Letters to Kevin obeys a certain logic, but it’s a shifty, nighttime logic that’s full of surprises.Letters to Kevin is an absurdist, screwball farce, and certainly Stephen Dixon’s wildest and weirdest book ever. It’s also, sneakily, one of his most affecting.




Without Winter


Book Description

There is a monster loose in Flahento California. Without Winter, is the story of sixteen-year-old Candace Dreschner, who decides she needs to escape her abusive father, promising within herself to somehow help her mother who is afraid to leave him. She calls her Aunt Paula, who lives in the fictional city of Flahento, California and explains her situation. She asks Aunt Paula if she could spend the summer there, and she agrees. But little does Candace know what she is about to come face to face with.




Nobody Hitchhikes Anymore


Book Description

Ed Griffin-Nolan's Nobody Hitchhikes Anymore is an "act of loving rebellion" (Sean Kirst, Buffalo News) and a travelogue about a changing society and the people who lifted him up.




How to Draw a Map of the Forest


Book Description

Once again it's time to roam the country by car, bike, boat, plane, and foot-- perhaps minus a wounded toe. Make your reservation to join Senator and Wendy V as they tackle a 6,000-mile spread of the United States. Don't be overwhelmed; you just need an occasionally accurate map, comfortable shoes, about half of the alphabet, and a sense of humor. They'll be happy to have you ride along. Just tell 'em Lyin' Jimmy sent you!




The Complete Golf Manual


Book Description

Covering every possible aspect the game, from tee shots, iron play, pitching and chipping to coping with bunkers and putting, The Complete Golf Manual works is the ultimate self-improvement guide to playing better golf. With a series of exercises designed to develop your technique, routines to help you think more decisively on the course, and a section on the top 10 most common faults, Steve Newell offers a fast track to a lower handicap for all-from the novice to the experienced club golfer.