Fugitives and Refugees: A Walk in Portland, Oregon (Crown Journeys)

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It's a hit!

A fun littl book, tough it drags at times. This book is less a book of essays or a novel per se, and more of an examinaton by Palahniuk on what th... (show more)

A fun littl book, tough it drags at times. This book is less a book of essays or a novel per se, and more of an examinaton by Palahniuk on what there is to see and what he loves in his hometown of Portland, Oregon. Though this book is part travel guide and that gets slightly monotonous at some moments, his bizarre sense of humor and his determination to focus on the more sureal customs and events of Portland makes this a fun read, and it did prompt a personal desire in me to visit Portland one day and exlore many of the wonders and experiences he details in this book. Whether it be the annual Santa Rampage, Rhinoceros urination for amorous purposes, disturbing underground tunnel excursions, or a truly heartbeaking account of a memory Chuck has from working in a hospital, this book succeeds in being enthralling much of the time, but is weighed down from a select number of passages that are of the typical travel guide fashion. (show less)

 

 

by Michael Clayton

No, it's a flop!

Chuck writing about his hometown Portland? You'd think he'd take a break from his normal scattered crazy fiction stories, but it's astonishingly mo... (show more)

Chuck writing about his hometown Portland? You'd think he'd take a break from his normal scattered crazy fiction stories, but it's astonishingly more of the same in this book. Worth reading if you live in Portland or plan on visiting soon. (show less)

 

 

by Josh Jackson

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  This is much, much more than a travel guide; it's practically a personal conducted walking tour of the less-conventional side of Portland, Oregon by the cult author, who's also a native.

  There's a minefield of information: from a quick guide to local slang, to the best food recommendations (including recipes), right down to the names and contact numbers of the operators of strange museums, a self-cleaning house, haunted hotels, sex clubs and even the individual animals at the Oregon zoo.
  ... (show more)

  This is much, much more than a travel guide; it's practically a personal conducted walking tour of the less-conventional side of Portland, Oregon by the cult author, who's also a native.

  There's a minefield of information: from a quick guide to local slang, to the best food recommendations (including recipes), right down to the names and contact numbers of the operators of strange museums, a self-cleaning house, haunted hotels, sex clubs and even the individual animals at the Oregon zoo.

  What is unexpected (or perhaps totally in keeping with Palahniuk's quirkiness), is how he wraps each attraction with a story of the place or person he talks to and personal nuggets in the form of a postcard entry at the end of every chapter.

  As he says at the end of the book, "This book is not Portland, Oregon. At best, it's a series of moments with interesting people."

  Palahniuk not only participates in local customs like the outrageous Santa Rampage (the cover pic of the author in full garb as proof), he also gatecrashes a Rose Festival parade with a mannequin to upstage the parade princesses on floats, and chews up a lady's fur coat sleeve in a drugged out state at the Pink Floyd laser light show.

  The reader gets to ride along on these whacked-out adventures and go under the skin of the man (just a little bit) behind his iconic works. (show less)

   

   

  by Josh Ang on Sep 06, 2009 at 02:40PM

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  This is a nice profile of Portland--a place that I've never been to, but would now like to visit--and my favorite part about it is Chuck's voice is in tact in this book (I just finished his latest, Pygmy, today and had a tough time staying engaged with the choppy dialect). I like the autobiography that weaves in and out of this collection of journalistic interviews and lists.

  Having read Stranger Than Fiction first, I can see where this book started some threads that Chuck went back and e... (show more)

  This is a nice profile of Portland--a place that I've never been to, but would now like to visit--and my favorite part about it is Chuck's voice is in tact in this book (I just finished his latest, Pygmy, today and had a tough time staying engaged with the choppy dialect). I like the autobiography that weaves in and out of this collection of journalistic interviews and lists.

  Having read Stranger Than Fiction first, I can see where this book started some threads that Chuck went back and expanded into full non-fiction pieces. In the very front of the book is a map of Portland that is flagged with all kinds of locations pertaining to Chuck and the stories in the book.

  Pygmy left such a bad taste in my mouth, and I'm happy to have some kind words for Chuck about Fugitives and Refugees. This is a great little book: a fast, engaging read, that will make everyone see (or imagine, in my case) Portland in a different way. (show less)

   

   

  by Kenny Squires on May 12, 2009 at 03:39AM

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