Early one May, Sam Neumann arrived in the breathtaking wilderness of Denali, Alaska with a smile on his face and adventure in his heart. But less than 24 hours later, both had evaporated as he stood behind the counter of a filthy gas station—his new place of employment—and tried to piece together what exactly had gone wrong.
MEMOIRS OF A GAS STATION is a quirky personal account of a summer trapped in a convenience store on the edge of Denali ...
Early one May, Sam Neumann arrived in the breathtaking wilderness of Denali, Alaska with a smile on his face and adventure in his heart. But less than 24 hours later, both had evaporated as he stood behind the counter of a filthy gas station—his new place of employment—and tried to piece together what exactly had gone wrong.
MEMOIRS OF A GAS STATION is a quirky personal account of a summer trapped in a convenience store on the edge of Denali National Park. It is a journey across the Alaskan tundra and headlong into the ridiculous world of seasonal employment. The summer began with shock, horror, and denim shirts as Sam struggled to accept his new role as a gas station employee. To escape it, he took to the forests of Denali at every free moment, soon finding himself face-to-face with an angry adult moose, shivering numb trying to last the night on a frigid mountainside, and being seduced by a Mormon divorcee.
Often satirical, sometimes introspective, and always brutally honest, MEMOIRS OF A GAS STATION takes you on a raucous ride through the best and worst summer of one man’s life. From booze-soaked employee parties to one very awkward romantic episode in a tree house, Sam learned more than he ever planned about the Last Frontier. But weekends spent stumbling through seedy Alaskan bars and hitch-hiking to remote destinations gave him a unique perspective on life, and led him to find friendship, adventure, and love in the most unexpected places.
As someone who spent a summer in Denali a few years before Mr. Neumann arrived there, I can say this book really captures the culture of the place quite well. You feel as if you are in the midst of the hippies and the madness that descend on the place every May. I can promise you that there is little embellishment contained in the pages as it's nearly impossible to convey the wackiness that goes on there. The drinking, the parties, the people, the fleetingness of it all..it's all very real.
Amazon.com
- Jason Deas
Before I started reading, I visited the author's website, noticed he was a fairly young guy and decided the book would be a rambling tale about his summer. My God was I wrong. This guy can write. He writes so well I found myself at times feeling a bit envious.
As for the story - I felt like I was there. The book is brutally honest, funny, intelligent, and one hell of a debut.Bravo.
Amazon.com
- Nikki Pappanduros
If you're a fan of Chuck Klosterman or Bill Bryson, you'll love Memoirs of a Gas Station. A great read!
Amazon.com
- Susan Lawson
The author's keen observations of human nature (and, for that matter, nature nature) coupled with his over-the-top slackerism and truly fine writing make this one of the most important books about working in a gas station ever written.
Read the book - it's laugh-out-loud funny. I had the irresistible urge to visit Denali National Park immediately, while simultaneously vowing to avoid the place at all costs. You'll never look at caribou quite the same again.
Sam Neumann is originally from Chisago City, Minnesota. He currently lives in Boulder, Colorado, where he is surrounded by mountains, organic food, and people with smartphones. This is his first book. You can find more about him and his current projects and rants at samneumann.com.
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Overview
MEMOIRS OF A GAS STATION is a quirky personal account of a summer trapped in a convenience store on the edge of Denali ...