Roger Bruns

Well-written, if slightly repetitive, look at the hobo life as it was coming to an end in the late 1970s. At first, I didn't find this book as interesting as the first-hand accounts I've read by hobos themselves, but at some point, Bruns' survey begins to become very informative, especially when he writes sketches of individual hobos or repeats a sketch from another author. This book doesn't leave the reader with an image of the romance of hobo life--the figures Bruns quotes of hobos and others killed on trains and in the nations railyards in the early part of the 20th century are staggering. Despite some of the repetition, he packs a lot into 200 pages, and this is a good source for learning about other similar writings. There are a few good pictures, also.… (más)

5215. Almost History Close Calls, Plan B's, and Twists of Fate in American History, by Roger Bruns (read 6 Nov 2014) This 2000 book consists of 81 two or three page accounts of incidents, or possible incidents, in American history. Most are of things I knew but some were not. I had never before heard that Nixon had a speech prepared in case the moon landers were stranded on the moon. Nor had I heard of how the 19th Amendment was adopted because of a mother's advice to her son in the Tennessee Legislature who had been opposed to women voting. All in all, it is a fun book to read.… (más)