Old Glory : A Voyage Down the Mississippi

It's dated big time

A rambling travelogue. Entertaining more for its historical witness to the period in which it was written than for its description of the river itself. The story bounces from seemingly random experiences and internal reflections to insightful descriptions of the many, varied locations experienced by the author. A fun read best accompanied by a map of the river. I would have given it a five if it had more of a consistent thread of thought. But do read it, especially if you were there when... Good for travelers wanting to do as Mr. Raban did, juxtapose the past with the present, to see how far we have come and how much we have or have not changed in the intervening decades.

I expected a lot more from this book. Having spent some time on the Mississippi River myself, I frankly thought this would be a good overview of the people and places along the river. Instead, I found it to be a dated (late 70s) and prejudiced view of the midwest USA in general. Raban starts the book by making fun of Minnesotans attending the Minnesota State Fair. Not that I have anything against making fun of Minnesotans, but to me he seemed to really MEAN it when he was talking about them.This viewpoint of Americans as narrow-minded provincials seemed to permeate the entire book. I wonder if Raban would feel the same way almost 30 years later...I also felt that he spent way too much time describing his stops on the northern part of his trip, and glossed over the lower Mississippi. Of course, considering that he took his boat on board a barge for most of the trip on the lower Mississippi, it's not surprising that he chose not to write about it as much. Frankly, I would have been happy if he had just chosen to write about his REAL trip via small boat and stopped there.Unless Jonathan Raban chooses to update this book, I can't recommend it. It's just a glum and narrow-minded look at the midwest in the 1970s.

In 1979, at the age of 37, Jonahan Raban realised a boyhood dream, inspired by reading 'Hucklebery Finn', of traveling alone by small boat down the Mississippi. 'Old Glory' is the story of that voyage, but on another level, it is a series of snapshots of the American South as it emerged from racial segregation. Like Paul Theroux, Raban is a master at evoking lndscapes and places. There are also many characers in the book, presumably real people, and if I have a criticism, it is that at times the book reads like a novel; I felt that the boundary between reporting and fiction (or reconstructed memory) became blurred in a few passages.Raban has a sure touch with language and anyone who likes good travel writing will enjoy this book, and others by the same author.

I like everything Raban writes, especially "Passage to Juneau". One of the better books I have ever read on the Inside Passage. Raban has a great way with words. I recently did a river trip in a friends yacht and had hoped for more detailed information on the river. Old Glory talks mostly about the people he meets on his voyage and while interesting I found it somewhat depressing to read about the people he met along the way. I still found it interesting, just not as great as "Passage to Juneau", which I thought outstanding.https://www.amazon.com/Passage-Juneau-Sea-Its-Meanings/dp/0679776141/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1468878170&sr=1-1&keywords=passage+to+juneau

The vision and the voyage of the author intrigued me geographically and culturally. Written by an unhappy man and who, unfortunately, seeks out and illuminates the darker sides of other unhappy people to focus upon their bigoted worldviews. The writing was interesting as his consistency in viewing peoples' darker sides indicated an undercurrent of American xenophobia most likely amplified by his own fears of being an alien in America.I believe, he now lives in Seattle. The weather should perfectly fit his mood.I am currently reading "Hunting Mr. Heartbreak," by Raban (you really should read this one). That would be my fifth book that he has written. He may be an alien, but he is a most reflective writer that describes personal and American issues with insight, humor and unabashed candor.

I enjoyed this book a lot. I am a midwesterner and have always liked river towns and this book takes you there. Also, I know some of this country first hand...the northern portions especially. And this book takes you there and one feels that one is on the river with him... and learning much about it all the way.However, the book is almost spoiled by the author's very-English and bitterly anti-American mentality. He seems obsessed with portraying Americans as racist. (Would he point out tribal flaws of the English or other peoples?) Perhaps the real problem is that he does not seem to be the happiest person.

This book, written in 1979, is a great narative of a trip down the Mississippi River in a 16 foot boat. I have read most of Raban's books and find his curiosity and ability to get people to open up to him amazing. I read this 1979 tour alongside the 2010 guide, 'Great River Road' and compared the stops along the way with the 30-year gap, although Raban's descriptions were much more detailed. A great read!

This was right in the middle of my range of preferred reading. I enjoyed it for the first half, but it became slightly repetitive thereafter. Good value though.