Rating: 
Summary: Find out what Australia is about
Review: The best kind of book - a non-fiction page turner. Horwitz writes about his slow grinding hitchhiking tour through the expanse and heat of the Australian outback. He does so with constant wit and determined irreverance. It is just plain fun to be along for the ride. But I don't think his only purpose is entertain us. I think he also wants to show us the character of the Australian people. He succeeds. We discover a tough, independent, hard drinking, hard fighting, and hard laughing people. He tells his stories so well that we are left changed. We are left with a fresh new look at the what Australia is about. Read this book. You'll look forward to every new page and when you are done, you are left a little changed. What more could you want in a book?
Rating:
Summary: "You may find yourself . . . "
Review: There are some constraints to Australian road travel - the chief one being that the cities, hence, the roads, hug the coasts. There are dangers, desolation, loneliness, above all, heat. And flies. It takes some courage to face these conditions alone, even in modern times. Tony Horwitz faced them alone and on foot - some of the time. The result was a fantastic voyage and a superb account. Horwitz is an unlikely prospect for an Australian adventurer. A transplanted Yank [Washington, DC to Sydney], urban [New York City to, again, Sydney] and Jewish [novel in the Outback]. These conditions might fatally impair the less adventurous, but Horwitz can "boldly go" [as he did in a later book] and so he does. With singular dedication, he even starts his trek heading West from Sydney past Dubbo to the Alice. With no direct Sydney to Alice route, the journey is circuitous, a fine introduction to the later expedition. Here, Horwitz encounters people and displays his talent at recording them. The limited number of roads implies limited options and few rides. It's a closed world and he becomes "the crazy Yank we heard about back in Nevertire." Constricted view doesn't inhibit Horwitz' abilities. He has an advantage over many travel writers - he's a journalist first and a traveller after. A perceptive eye and a talented pen record his reaction to the land of Australia. And the people he encounters, which become the focus of his attention. He's good with people, drawing them out - fulfilling the image of the chatty Yank, entertaining, but somehow provocative. The drivers, pub keepers and drinkers respond to his novelty. He records them with lively asides, keeping your interest with every page. 'Surely, these can't be real people,' you may think. No worries - Horwitz has captured them intimately, intruding only lightly as they respond to his queries. A poignant chapter, describing his search for a Jewish family in Broome with whom to celebrate Passover, is the highlight of the book. Noting the town's multiracial population, he observes: "Australians . . . seem uncomfortable when the subject of Judaism is raised." He attributes the feeling purely to ignorance, not prejudice, a welcome change from attitudes toward the "Abos." Horowitz, although claiming atheism, remains drawn to the family assemblage of the seder. Alone in Broome, he discovers a new level of solitude - in this polyglot community, Jews are rarer than jewels. He pores over the telephone directory which only displays "an Anglo-Saxon litany of Browns, Harrisons and Smiths." A solution beckons in the guise of a local priest. "It is a common sort of misconception. If there's no rabbi about, well, try a priest. One religious ratbag's as good as another." The solution, however, lies elsewhere. The situation amply portrays Horwitz' humanity, absolving him of any stigma of the detached, unfeeling journalist. His roots are a significant element in his life, one that gently, but insistently, haunts him. This book can haunt you - as it does me.
Rating:
Summary: "You may find yourself . . . "
Review: There are some constraints to Australian road travel - the chief one being that the cities, hence, the roads, hug the coasts. There are dangers, desolation, loneliness, above all, heat. And flies. It takes some courage to face these conditions alone, even in modern times. Tony Horwitz faced them alone and on foot - some of the time. The result was a fantastic voyage and a superb account. Horwitz is an unlikely prospect for an Australian adventurer. A transplanted Yank [Washington, DC to Sydney], urban [New York City to, again, Sydney] and Jewish [novel in the Outback]. These conditions might fatally impair the less adventurous, but Horwitz can "boldly go" [as he did in a later book] and so he does. With singular dedication, he even starts his trek heading West from Sydney past Dubbo to the Alice. With no direct Sydney to Alice route, the journey is circuitous, a fine introduction to the later expedition. Here, Horwitz encounters people and displays his talent at recording them. The limited number of roads implies limited options and few rides. It's a closed world and he becomes "the crazy Yank we heard about back in Nevertire." Constricted view doesn't inhibit Horwitz' abilities. He has an advantage over many travel writers - he's a journalist first and a traveller after. A perceptive eye and a talented pen record his reaction to the land of Australia. And the people he encounters, which become the focus of his attention. He's good with people, drawing them out - fulfilling the image of the chatty Yank, entertaining, but somehow provocative. The drivers, pub keepers and drinkers respond to his novelty. He records them with lively asides, keeping your interest with every page. 'Surely, these can't be real people,' you may think. No worries - Horwitz has captured them intimately, intruding only lightly as they respond to his queries. A poignant chapter, describing his search for a Jewish family in Broome with whom to celebrate Passover, is the highlight of the book. Noting the town's multiracial population, he observes: "Australians . . . seem uncomfortable when the subject of Judaism is raised." He attributes the feeling purely to ignorance, not prejudice, a welcome change from attitudes toward the "Abos." Horowitz, although claiming atheism, remains drawn to the family assemblage of the seder. Alone in Broome, he discovers a new level of solitude - in this polyglot community, Jews are rarer than jewels. He pores over the telephone directory which only displays "an Anglo-Saxon litany of Browns, Harrisons and Smiths." A solution beckons in the guise of a local priest. "It is a common sort of misconception. If there's no rabbi about, well, try a priest. One religious ratbag's as good as another." The solution, however, lies elsewhere. The situation amply portrays Horwitz' humanity, absolving him of any stigma of the detached, unfeeling journalist. His roots are a significant element in his life, one that gently, but insistently, haunts him. This book can haunt you - as it does me.
Rating: 
Summary: Equal in quality yet different than Bryson
Review: This book makes an excellent companion to Bill Bryson's 'In a Sunburned Country.' As Horowitz spent much of his time hitchhiking through Australia (as opposed to Bryson's quick train and driving strategy), he met many more strange characters than Bryson, and his descriptions of the locals are spot-on and often laugh-out-loud funny. His road trip with four aboriginals in a dilapidated pickup truck is of special note. My only criticism of the book is that I am not a particular fan of present tense travel writing ('I dash up the hill, the horde of angry kangaroos hopping in thundering unison behind me' -- not a real quote), in which this book is written. It's a minor gripe, however; Horowitz is a former correspondent of the Wall Street Journal and an excellent storyteller. Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: One of Many
Review: This is the fourth travel narrative I've read about Australia. It is hard to compare them with each other, because each has a different focus and they travel by different means. Horwitz has quite a deal of humor, though not quite as much as Bryson. This book is similar to "Cold Beer and Crocodiles", since Horwitz also spent many nights out in the bush. Probably the best part of "One For the Road" is the variety of Australians he meets, either as they give him a lift or as he wanders around each new location. He is very eager to get to know people in the various regions of New South Wales, Queensland, Northern Territory, South Australia, and West Australia. This book is not quite the laugh out loud as his "Confederates in the Attic", but it has its moments, especially when he grows weary of the laid back, no worries, attitude of Australians, which is, from personal experience frustrating to americans, who are used to everything happening on time and in some kind of predictable order (usually)
It would be easy to infer, that drinking is big in Australia, especially the way in some parts, Hortwitz is given distance between places, based on how many beers a driver would put away before reaching the next pub. It's hilarious since I can't think of too many other places that do this, but it is serious too. He doesn't really get into the number of accidents and so on from all these drunk people, but it isn't too hard to drive, when many Australian roads are straight for hundreds of miles. Still, I would recommend "One for the Road"; to anyone interested in Australia or likes a good travel narrative.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting, but have read better
Review: This was an interesting book, but nowhere near as good as the reviews I've read here seemed to indicate. For all of his travels, Horwitz doesn't say much, literally and figuratively. In my opinion, a much better book was Greater Nowhere (1988), by Dave Finkelstein and Jack London. It also is the story of Americans setting out to explore "the other" Australia, but its written in a more engaging and informative style, and covers more of the country. If you are interested in the off beat Oz, read it.
Rating:
Summary: Hitch-hiking in Australia
Review: This was my second Horwitz book. I had quite high expectations after "Confederates in the Attic" and I was generally satisfied with this one (actually one of his first works). Horwitz's tale is a true personal account of hitchhiking through Australia. He moves to Sydney with his Australian-born wife and can't resist the pull to see the high country. He gains quirky inisights into the culture and land, and is nearly killed in a freak accident along the way! By the end of the book you'll be fluent in slang Australian...Horwitz even encloses a dictionary for your convenience. "One for the Road" gives you a good flavor for the Aussie culture...but I was left with an uncertain feeling as to his purpose. It oscillates between a curiousity of Australia and a longing for his boyhood days of hitch-hiking. So it seems that from the start of his book to the end, he changed his purpose for writing it. Still a very enjoyable read. Horwitz writes as true seasoned journalist...his Aussie anecdotes will keep you intrigued in this page-turner.
Rating:
Summary: A backpack and a sense of adventure
Review: Tony Horwitz is fast becoming my one of my favorite authors. I loved "Confederates in the Attic" and "Baghdad Without a Map" and looked forward to reading "One for the Road", his very first book which describes his adventures hitchhiking across the Australian outback in 1987 at the age of 27. With only a backpack and a sense of adventure, he shares his journey with the reader, skillfully describing the mostly desolate terrain and the people he meets along the way. His sense of humor and instinctive quest for the quirky detail made me smile often and I tried to read this small 206-page book as slowly as possible because I just wanted it to last. I'm a mature city-dwelling grandmother and it's unlikely I'll ever stand by the side of the road with a cardboard sign and an outstretched thumb (or index finger as they do in Australia) waiting for a stranger to open a car door and share a little piece of his or her life with me. But for the moments that I was engaged in the book, Tony Horwitz brought me right there. He made me feel the 100-degree-plus heat, the flies so dense he had to squint his eyes. My head swirled with the countless bottles of beer he described drinking as he tried to ignore the fact that most of the drivers who picked him up were drunk. He slept in his clothes by the side of the road, met aboriginals and opal diggers and got seasick working as a deck hand on a fishing boat. And I also experienced the wonder of it all, the freedom of waking up in the morning and not knowing what the day will bring, the time to relish each moment, and the writer's eye to make the trip real for the many people destined to read his book. Occasionally, the book got a bit slow, but that is not a criticism, but rather just part of the reality of the experience. I really loved this book. And wish there were more books out there by this author. Hopefully, he'll write another book soon. And I know I'll be one of the first in line to order it.
Rating:
Summary: A backpack and a sense of adventure
Review: Tony Horwitz is fast becoming my one of my favorite authors. I loved "Confederates in the Attic" and "Baghdad Without a Map" and looked forward to reading "One for the Road", his very first book which describes his adventures hitchhiking across the Australian outback in 1987 at the age of 27. With only a backpack and a sense of adventure, he shares his journey with the reader, skillfully describing the mostly desolate terrain and the people he meets along the way. His sense of humor and instinctive quest for the quirky detail made me smile often and I tried to read this small 206-page book as slowly as possible because I just wanted it to last. I'm a mature city-dwelling grandmother and it's unlikely I'll ever stand by the side of the road with a cardboard sign and an outstretched thumb (or index finger as they do in Australia) waiting for a stranger to open a car door and share a little piece of his or her life with me. But for the moments that I was engaged in the book, Tony Horwitz brought me right there. He made me feel the 100-degree-plus heat, the flies so dense he had to squint his eyes. My head swirled with the countless bottles of beer he described drinking as he tried to ignore the fact that most of the drivers who picked him up were drunk. He slept in his clothes by the side of the road, met aboriginals and opal diggers and got seasick working as a deck hand on a fishing boat. And I also experienced the wonder of it all, the freedom of waking up in the morning and not knowing what the day will bring, the time to relish each moment, and the writer's eye to make the trip real for the many people destined to read his book. Occasionally, the book got a bit slow, but that is not a criticism, but rather just part of the reality of the experience. I really loved this book. And wish there were more books out there by this author. Hopefully, he'll write another book soon. And I know I'll be one of the first in line to order it.
Rating:
Summary: The Real "Sunburnt" Country
Review: Tony Horwitz, with an Australian bride is residing in Sydney, and thoroughly fed up with the sameness of city life, embarks upon a hitchhiker's tour of the Outback. At the outset, I couldn't quite get my mind around the premise of trying to hitch rides in an area so desolate, a day or two might go by before a car was even seen, let alone a driver that would extend the courtesy of a ride. Tony is here to tell you it can be done with a lot of determination on his part and friendliness and compassion on the part of his Australian hosts. (At certain junctures, I would call these affable drivers 'life savers' as well.) The author has unique encounters with the 'real' people of the Outback: truck drivers, farmers ('cockies'), Aboriginals, and opal miners. I enjoyed his laid-back sense of humor, his insightfulness, and 'most of all'his willingness to be human like the rest of us. He dislikes spending the night under the stars, can't pitch a tent, is agonized by flies and mosquitoes and becomes violently sea-sick while catching a 'ride' in a crawfish trawler. The chapter 'Pearls Before Matzo Balls' describes trying to find a Jewish family with whom to celebrate Passover in the delightful town of Broome in Western Australia. He looks in the telephone book in vain for a Jewish name, but finally gets steered in the right direction by an unusual Catholic priest. This chapter epitomizes the hilarious strangeness of his entire trip to the red hot center of Australia. It is a good idea to read the glossary at the back before you begin. I found that a 'Pub' is called a 'hotel' in the Outback, and I kept wondering why in world all these Holiday Inn/Marriott-types were sitting in the middle of nowhere. Another warning, the Outback is awash in beer. In the Western Territory, the average yearly consumption is 52 gallons (!) for every man, woman and child. Distances between 'hotels' are measured in six-packs rather than miles or kilometers. A fun, sprightly read, though when you reach the end of the journey, you might'like Tony'have a bit of a hangover!
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