Carsick: John Waters Hitchhikes Across America by John Waters

Carsick: John Waters Hitchhikes Across America by John Waters
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I liked it, didn't love it.
There's a wide variety of reviews, both good and bad, and I kind of agree with both.
On the bad side I agree, the first 55% of the book is filler. The book starts off with a too brief set-up to the journey, then details what could happen in sections marked BAD and GOOD. I read the first few and though they were entertaining enough, it's just not what I signed up for. I wanted to read the true accounts. So I kept flipping, and flipping, and flipping. This filler was really too long.
On the good side though, I read a review saying John Waters was a rarity, a truly unique individual, and I agree with that too. So spending time with him was nice.
I think maybe the whole thing just wasn't thought all the way through. There was far too much emphasis placed on his safety by his staff and in some part himself. I had no doubt nothing bad was going to happen to him. Generally when you put yourself in a position of relying on people they come through, as they did here.
What I felt was under thought out was his age and his current place in life. A 20 year old man hitchhiking across country maybe, but a 68 year-old? You're just more stuck in your ways when you get older, you like home more, and your body hurts when you stand in one spot for 6 hours thumbing a ride.
Some of this manifested itself in the journey, such as John calling his assistants to score him a ride or accepting the return of the Cadillac Man. Because although you want the idea of feeling fun and travelling and meeting new people, at 68 you also want to sit down.

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