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79th out of 295 books
—
616 voters
Memoirs of a Gas Station: A Delightfully Awkward Journey Across the Alaskan Tundra
by
Sam Neumann (Goodreads Author)
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 delightfully awkwar...more
Memoirs of a Gas Station is a delightfully awkwar...more
Kindle Edition, 220 pages
Published
April 19th 2012
by Sam Neumann
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This book really cracked me up. There are so many parts in this book that had me laughing out loud, sometimes to the point of tears. My friends/coworkers must think I'm nutty.
The story covers Sam's whole summer working near Denali National Park. There is a lot of drinking, some coed mingling and a lot of awkward situations. The personalities in the story are interesting to read about. Having lived in Alaska myself and having glimpsed the seasonal worker scene I can tell you that Sam hits it rig...more
The story covers Sam's whole summer working near Denali National Park. There is a lot of drinking, some coed mingling and a lot of awkward situations. The personalities in the story are interesting to read about. Having lived in Alaska myself and having glimpsed the seasonal worker scene I can tell you that Sam hits it rig...more
Sam Neumann's Memoirs of a Gas Station: A Delightfully Awkward Journey Across the Alaskan Tundra is a fun read about a college student's adventures working for a summer at a resort in Denali, Alaska. Signing on with the resort's ownership for an unspecified position, Neumann and his friend Jim arrive in Alaska to discover that they have been assigned to work at the resort's gas station, which is one of the bottom-rung jobs in the organization. The book chronicles their attempts to make their job...more
An adventure like the one Sam describes here is worth being shared because of its scale, and share it he does, although in a somewhat disjointed manner. Younger readers will probably relate to Sam's writing style quickly, as his youth is apparent here. That's not a bad thing, but it may put off older readers looking for more of a travelogue type of story. Some older reviewers were also bothered by language, more on that later. There are parts of the book where he is trying too hard to be clever...more
Memoirs of a Gas Station is part travel book, part personal memoir, and part exposé of the world of seasonal employment. I learned a lot about Alaska (especially the area around Denali National Park) and got an interesting glimpse into what it’s like to work as a seasonal employee, both the good and the bad. Traveling vicariously when I’m stuck at home and getting glimpses of what life is like for people in situations I haven’t experienced are both things I enjoy, and Memoirs of a Gas Station de...more
I loved this book! Told from the perspective of a seasonal employee trying to both enjoy his summer and make some extra cash for college, Sam illustrates the time in your life where responsibility is looming but you still have 1 or 2 more summers before real life begins! Recalled in amazing detail, you feel like you are there and know the cast of characters that Sam meets along the way and are there with him experiencing Alaska from a seasonal employee's vantage point. Honest and well written th...more
I was excited to read this book, because living in Alaska has been such an interesting experience and I thought I would enjoy another take on it. It started out hilariously, but very quickly it stopped being "delightful" and became a droning self-absorbed account of the author's drinking and female conquests. There were a few good vignettes as he described his interaction with the amazing wildness of Denali, but if you removed all the pursuit of hedonism (and vulgarities) in between it would've...more
I started this but quit because the book was too crass. I was really interested in the experience, but the central character, the writer himself, was such wholly unlikeable whiner and the book was full of high school locker humor.
The author does have some talent and can have a good sense of humor. I did laugh out loud twice, but ultimately, he just needs to deal with his potty mouth. It just wasn't worth digging through the garbage to get to look for a few pieces of gold.
It was a freebie on Ama...more
The author does have some talent and can have a good sense of humor. I did laugh out loud twice, but ultimately, he just needs to deal with his potty mouth. It just wasn't worth digging through the garbage to get to look for a few pieces of gold.
It was a freebie on Ama...more
The premise of the book seemed promising. Sam, the author, spends a summer working at a gas station in Denali National Park in Alaska. Between the stunning scenery, opportunities for backcountry adventures, and slightly oddball seasonal workers, the book should have been a roaring success.
Unfortunately, despite the fact that Neumann pokes fun at frat boys early in the book, winds up sounding an awful lot like one... (continue reading)
Unfortunately, despite the fact that Neumann pokes fun at frat boys early in the book, winds up sounding an awful lot like one... (continue reading)
This is shaping up to be a really fun read!
Sadly, this book didn't live up to my expectations. The protagonist decides to spend a summer working at a resort in Denali, Alaska, but turns out to be woefully unprepared (for instance, he's too cheap to buy the waterproof boots the guide recommends, instead bringing 'water-resistant' ankle boots, with predictable results once he goes camping), and terribly disappointed that instead of working at the resort proper, he is assigned to -- you guessed it...more
Sadly, this book didn't live up to my expectations. The protagonist decides to spend a summer working at a resort in Denali, Alaska, but turns out to be woefully unprepared (for instance, he's too cheap to buy the waterproof boots the guide recommends, instead bringing 'water-resistant' ankle boots, with predictable results once he goes camping), and terribly disappointed that instead of working at the resort proper, he is assigned to -- you guessed it...more
A young man takes the summer between his junior and senior years in college to go to Alaska and work as a seasonal employee in Denali National Park - unfortunately he is give the worst job available, the mind-numbingly menial and boring job at the gas station. Alternating between travelogue as he documents hikes in the beautiful Alaskan wilderness and personal memoir of too many drunken, pot-filled parties, the book is an entertaining read.
I enjoyed it. About halfway through the book I realized that it was definitely a book written by a 21-year-old guy (read: foreign territory), but I enjoyed the parts about Alaska, and it was mostly humorous (first part of the book was better). Not bad.
If I just based this off of being a seasonal worker (tier 1) in my past, I would easily give this four stars. Though I think people outside that world can like this book, it really does add something to it. Thanks for the fun quick summer read.
I had high hopes for this book but as it started out wonderfully. A few great stories and I was hooked. I thought I was in for another employment story which would have me laughing out loud like “Whatever you do don’t run” but what I found was a rehashing of the same thing very frequently, get off of work, drink, try to hook up with girls (it sounds like work there is very boring). There are some genuinely funny stories and some nice imagery of the Alaskan outdoors. The stories also seem to put...more
I felt like we were friends when I was done reading this book. I didn't want it to end. A quirky insight to the kind of guy I might want as a friend but never really had the chance to. Touching and sweet, not pretentious.
This was excellent. Reminiscent of Bill Bryson obviously but Sam's voice still came through. I already miss the characters he introduced and find myself dreaming of spending a summer in Alaska ...
I cannot express how much I loved this book. I found it as a free read and decided to try it. I'm so glad I did because I fell in love with it and Sam!!!! Such a great and fun read.
I really loved this book! It was funny, at times hilarious, heartfelt and just wonderful! I never thought I would want to go to Alaska. Now I feel as though I've missed out.
I enjoyed this memoir of a seasonal employee at one of the most beautiful places on earth- Denali National Park!
Brought back some memories from my time in Alaska and fueled my desire to go back!
Brought back some memories from my time in Alaska and fueled my desire to go back!
Moments of brilliant, interwoven with moments of utter banality.
True story - I stopped 1/2 way through because I just couldn't take the self-indulgent whining anymore, or the insult to the WNBA. Neumann has some promise as a writer, but he's not one I'd be inclined to hang out with over coffee.
True story - I stopped 1/2 way through because I just couldn't take the self-indulgent whining anymore, or the insult to the WNBA. Neumann has some promise as a writer, but he's not one I'd be inclined to hang out with over coffee.
Not too bad. I read about 10 chapters before I decided I could tolerate it. Like the author's experience though, I came to like the diary of Denali experiences.
Hilarious. From his descriptions about hitchhiking to what NASCAR really stands for to his account of the bear warnings in Denali, Neumann brins forth the laughs.
A really fun read- great for those who love to travel, camp, drink and general merriment.
If Sam hadn't commented that hockey is a sport that doesn't serve any purpose, I would have rated the book better. Sorry, Sam, you can't tell me the NBA draft is exciting and dismiss hockey. That just isn't fair.
In all seriousness, the book was fun, approachable, and easy to envision in my head as the stories unfolded. It also made me want to quit my job to be a seasonal employee in a national park...just not at a gas station.
In all seriousness, the book was fun, approachable, and easy to envision in my head as the stories unfolded. It also made me want to quit my job to be a seasonal employee in a national park...just not at a gas station.
Took me some time to get into but enjoyed once I did.
I really enjoyed this book!!
Having visited the Denali area I really enjoyed this book. Now I wonder no more what those employees were thinking.
amusing story that was well written and fun to read.
I expected a little more tundra and slightly less binging, but it was ok.
sarcastic/funny writer
Delightfully Awkward is a great way to describe this book. I enjoyed the stories and the humor in the book. The author is the brother of a college friend of mine, so it was fun to have a tiny connection.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel Literature...: Alaska? | 2 | 17 | May 24, 2012 10:22am |
Sam is the author of one book and many entertaining blog posts, all of which can be found at http://www.SamNeumann.com.
More about Sam Neumann...
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