false 129230 7 In 1959, at the age of eleven, Michael Keith ditched his relatively stable life with his mother and sisters in Albany, New York, and surreptitiously set off hitchhiking out West with his estranged, alcoholic dad. His memoir, told without sentimentality in the funny, world-wise voice of the young boy he once was, describes the bizarre characters they encounter in the rundown rooming houses and homeless missions of Pittsburgh and Ft. Worth, where they hole up as Michael's father works odd jobs to make enough money for them to move on; in the carnivals of the Midwest and the casinos of Las Vegas, where Michael dreams of Hollywood stardom; and in every two-bit town along the way, where they attend AA meetings just for a cup of coffee and a decent doughnut.<br><br><i>The Next Better Place</i> explores the fine line between wanderlust and compulsion, between running away and arriving, and will resonate for anyone who has enjoyed the work of Tobias Wolff, Jack Kerouac, and William Kennedy. 124464 2003 The Next Better Place: Memories of My Misspent Youth total:19|5:0|4:11|3:6|2:2|1:0| 19 66 26 3 4 0 false false Fri Jan 23 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Fri Jan 23 22:58:53 -0800 2009 Fri Jan 23 22:59:35 -0800 2009 1 more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Jan 23 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Fri Jan 23 02:37:16 -0800 2009 Fri Jan 23 22:58:01 -0800 2009 1 more...]]> 3 0 false false Fri Aug 01 09:39:41 -0700 2008 Fri Aug 01 09:40:24 -0700 2008 4 0 false false Mon Nov 02 18:30:27 -0800 2009 Mon Nov 02 18:30:27 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Fri Nov 20 16:30:28 -0800 2009 Mon Nov 02 18:11:42 -0800 2009 Mon Nov 02 18:11:42 -0800 2009 3 0 false false Thu Oct 29 10:54:02 -0700 2009 Thu Oct 29 10:54:02 -0700 2009 2 0 false false Thu Aug 27 16:50:41 -0700 2009 Thu Aug 27 16:50:44 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Mon Apr 20 20:27:54 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 20 20:27:54 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Thu Mar 26 08:29:53 -0700 2009 Thu Mar 26 08:29:53 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Thu Jan 29 16:54:54 -0800 2009 Thu Jan 29 16:54:54 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Wed Jan 28 20:25:49 -0800 2009 Wed Jan 28 20:25:53 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Sat Jan 24 21:54:05 -0800 2009 Tue Jan 20 00:44:19 -0800 2009 Sat Jan 24 21:54:05 -0800 2009 3 0 false false Tue Jan 06 13:02:53 -0800 2009 Tue Jan 06 13:03:02 -0800 2009 3 0 false false Sun Jan 04 12:30:23 -0800 2009 Sun Jan 04 12:30:23 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Wed Dec 31 12:17:26 -0800 2008 Wed Dec 31 12:17:26 -0800 2008 4 0 false false Sun Jan 04 15:16:53 -0800 2009 Tue Dec 23 15:24:10 -0800 2008 Sun Jan 04 15:16:53 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Wed Oct 01 06:40:59 -0700 2008 Wed Oct 01 06:40:59 -0700 2008 4 0 false false Sat Sep 27 16:55:47 -0700 2008 Sat Sep 27 16:55:47 -0700 2008 4 0 false false Wed Sep 10 21:11:51 -0700 2008 Wed Sep 10 21:11:51 -0700 2008 4 0 false false Wed Sep 10 21:11:43 -0700 2008 Wed Sep 10 21:11:43 -0700 2008 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=4613069