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The Long Haul: A Trucker's Tales of Life on the Road
by
Finn Murphy
More than thirty years ago, Finn Murphy dropped out of college to become a long-haul trucker. Since then he’s covered more than a million miles packing, loading, and hauling people’s belongings all over America. Known by his trucker handle as U-Turn, he spends his days (and many of his nights) in a 53-foot eighteen-wheeler he calls Cassidy.
In The Long Haul, Murphy offers a ...more
In The Long Haul, Murphy offers a ...more
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Community Reviews
(showing 1-30)
I love learning how other people live and how the heavy work of the world gets done. This likable, thoughtful, observant professional mover says most people would be better off to put more importance on the people in their lives and less on their stuff. His stories are informative and reassuring for anyone hiring movers, and motivational to anyone who wants to let go of stuff.
This review is based on a free review copy sent to my library by the publisher.
This review is based on a free review copy sent to my library by the publisher.
I absolutely love this genre, what I personally call regular-person memoir. There is such a wonderful informal writing style, it's just some dude telling me about his life. And his life is freaking fascinating.
What a good book. It's the memoir of an autodidactic gentleman trucker. I'd rank it right up with Hillbilly Elegy by J.D.Vance. A thoughtful view of America from ten feet up in a Freightliner, hauling furniture cross-country. The writing is excellent and the narrator impressive and relatable. Here's a sample:
"A Jake brake...sounds like a machine gun beneath my feet as it works to keep 70,000 pounds of steel and rubber under control."
Also, this: "I was running north in a convoy with nine other tr ...more
"A Jake brake...sounds like a machine gun beneath my feet as it works to keep 70,000 pounds of steel and rubber under control."
Also, this: "I was running north in a convoy with nine other tr ...more
I won this book on Goodreads. An interesting look into the life of a trucker. I am glad that I read this book as I once was interested in becoming a trucker myself and was always curious about the life they lead and the things they do. This book is a fascinating glimpse into the very hard and under-appreciated life of a trucker. There are some very memorable stories written in this book.
This book is a brief (fewer than 200 pages) memoir of the author’s life as the driver of a moving van. Written by Finn Murphy, and published by W. W. Norton and Company in 2017, the book is largely anecdotal, covering two periods of the author’s life. The first period was the time when Murphy first became associated with the moving industry and began driving a truck. This was when he was living in Connecticut. He eventually melted down and stopped driving for a number of years, before beginning
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Read the full review at my site https://wp.me/p89tYT-fG
I will admit to being immensely proud of my truck-driving skills, the real freedom I do have, and the certain knowledge that I make more money in a month than many of the guys around the coffee counter make in a year
What is the book about?
The Long Haul: A Trucker’s Tales of Life on the Road is written by Finn Murphy, a long-time trucker and first-time author.
Finn Murphy tells his life story in his first book. The entire book is devoted to hi ...more
I will admit to being immensely proud of my truck-driving skills, the real freedom I do have, and the certain knowledge that I make more money in a month than many of the guys around the coffee counter make in a year
What is the book about?
The Long Haul: A Trucker’s Tales of Life on the Road is written by Finn Murphy, a long-time trucker and first-time author.
Finn Murphy tells his life story in his first book. The entire book is devoted to hi ...more
The Long Haul got off to kind of a slow start, but it finished strong and the last one-third or so of the book is really engaging work. Folks curious about a trucker's life on the road will want to read this one as part of their research because Murphy offers some interesting insights about the state of the industry and both its short-term and long-term futures.
For someone who's driven through 42 states in the continental US, this book was an absolute delight! The author lives in Boulder so loved all the Colorado references. +1 star for the Conifer shoutout!!
Finn, will you come do a book talk at the Denver Public Library???
Finn, will you come do a book talk at the Denver Public Library???
I surprisingly enjoyed this book. It is not a book I would typically pick up but I was reading it as an ARC for a literary festival. I think because I knew nothing on the subject going in it was thoroughly entertaining. It's not the most beautifully written book I've read but it is certainly hard to put down. It is a witty account of a life most of us will never know, except maybe from the shippers side. Because of it I would hope we would all be a little more patient with the long haul truckers
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I wasn't sure what to expect when I requested this book to review, but it appeared at the right time to peak my curiosity. My uncle, now 84 years old was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer recently. He was a long distance trucker for most of his life. For my uncle there was no question he loved his job and missed every moment he wasn't on the road. This book appeared a couple of days after my visit with him at the hospital. My curiosity with a truckers life was peaked and so I began the book. Th
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This is NOT a book I would have read if I weren't assigned it for the Indies Introduce panel, and yet I read the whole damn thing. It's not perfect and the dialogue could use some roughing up (the people all speak in these complete paragraphs - it's strained) but it's genuinely fascinating. Did I need to read a book about long haul movers? No of course not? Was I entertained? Weirdly yes.
Finn Murphy's parents were not to pleased when he dropped out of college and became a truck driver. Thirty years later he is still packing, loading, and moving other people's prized possessions all over the country and he wouldn't have it any other way. In this memoir, he shares stories about the people who trust him to move their stuff in one piece, his fellow movers, and the truck drivers he has met along the way.
I honestly had low expectations for this book because trucking is not something I ...more
I honestly had low expectations for this book because trucking is not something I ...more
Oh my gosh, I absolutely loved this book and didn't expect to. Full disclosure: Though we share the same good Irish last name, Finn Murphy and I are not related (in the American sense; of course we are in some way I'm sure a few generations back in Ireland). I happened upon this book, read the reader reviews, and took a chance.
If I've said it once, I've said it a hundred times; we all have a story, and I love reading about how other people make sense of the world through the events that transpir ...more
If I've said it once, I've said it a hundred times; we all have a story, and I love reading about how other people make sense of the world through the events that transpir ...more
Finn Murphy is a college drop out and an over the road trucker. If you are an English snob, as am I (or at least used to be in my grad school days), this makes him and his writing somewhat suspect. When I add that in the pages of this book he details how to pack a trailer (as in tractor trailer) for a full house move, how to clean the trailer, and how to hitch the tractor to the trailer (doing so incorrectly can be a disaster to the trucker and fatal to anyone on the road at the time the trailer
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This book is absolutely my favorite kind of book to read! The story is told in a clear way, using unpretentious, yet quality language. The book also taught me something, both about people, a way of life, and about an industry I knew little about before reading it. The fact that this is the work of a first time author and it is nonfiction makes it no less absolutely interesting and entertaining.
The Long Haul is about the experiences of a truck driver who moves the household belongings of familie ...more
The Long Haul is about the experiences of a truck driver who moves the household belongings of familie ...more
Honesty Alert - I know (and love) the author.
I read at night as a bedtime ritual. It helps me transition into sleep. For me, 9PM to 10PM is my book time. I like to have a book I look forward to, that captures me and takes me away to another reality. For the last week that reality has been Long Haul. I couldn't wait for bedtime. I even took the book into my yard for some Father's Day relaxing.
This reality tale will school you on the intricacies and requirements of living the long haul life. It' ...more
I read at night as a bedtime ritual. It helps me transition into sleep. For me, 9PM to 10PM is my book time. I like to have a book I look forward to, that captures me and takes me away to another reality. For the last week that reality has been Long Haul. I couldn't wait for bedtime. I even took the book into my yard for some Father's Day relaxing.
This reality tale will school you on the intricacies and requirements of living the long haul life. It' ...more
This was a well written, literate and interesting book. It had particular value to me since i was once a long-haul mover for NorthAmerican Van Lines, like Murphy, many decades ago. So to be reminded of all the ARDUOUS work I did as a young, small-boned woman - all the complicated physical, emotional, technical and business details that come with it, not to even mention what it takes to drive a big rig all over the US under all sorts of circumstances and in all kinds of weather and the inherent d
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A fascinating seat beside one of the more experienced, high-end long-haul drivers and movers in the US. Finn's writing is entertaining, compelling, and detailed without being overwhelming. He's honest and respectful--except when it's patently not deserved--of people of all walks of life and portrays life on the road and moving other people's furniture and belongings in a way you don't want to miss.
Wow, one of the best books about the working class lifestyle I've ever read. Murphy is a mover first and foremost---driving the truck is the secondary occupation to taking things from place to place---and he understands how the working class has been denied honor, respect, and agency in the post-Reagan America both parties now embrace.
Plus maybe one of the sweetest and most unexpected sex scenes in a book....ever?
Plus maybe one of the sweetest and most unexpected sex scenes in a book....ever?
Apparently I missed that the author drove for a moving company - when I picked it up and found that out, I actually put it aside for a few days to read "Found" and another title.
Glad I picked it back up - the author writes well, the pace of the book picked up once it got past the intro and he was doing the long-haul driving. Entertaining, laugh-out-loud funny in a few places.
Will definitely make me think again the next time I move and hire a moving crew.
Glad I picked it back up - the author writes well, the pace of the book picked up once it got past the intro and he was doing the long-haul driving. Entertaining, laugh-out-loud funny in a few places.
Will definitely make me think again the next time I move and hire a moving crew.
Read this book, and you will never see a truck the same way again! Murphy describes the finer details of trucks and trucking (particularly the shipping/moving sector), with adventures galore and a host of odd, delightful, and occasionally obnoxious characters. On another level, combining myth with socio-economic analysis, the memoir develops a subtle thesis of how and why the USA has evolved into its present incarnation.
20,000 American towns and Finn has drove into most of them and his eye for detail suggests they're all dead men walking other than the College Towns. Like-wise, his Description of the interstate highway system is also spot on and educational. And then there's the funny parts -- this guy is funny! Overall, this is an excellent book about a specific career and modern day America and its people. Highly recommended. Put it alongside John McPhee's "Uncommon Carriers".
Want to know what life is like hauling people's belongings across the country? Read this book. Murphy provides a set of stories that describe life on the road. Murphy is not shy to express his deeply held views on people and the state of our nation. He raises issues that are never revisited and runs into trouble due to his own stubbornness. A neat book to listen to while on a long road trip. Respect the truckers.
A long-haul trucker's memoirs of over thirty years over-the-road experiences.
I won an advanced reading copy of this book during a Goodreads giveaway. I am under no obligation to leave a review or rating and do so voluntarily. So that others may also enjoy this book, I am donating it to a senior assisted living facility.
I won an advanced reading copy of this book during a Goodreads giveaway. I am under no obligation to leave a review or rating and do so voluntarily. So that others may also enjoy this book, I am donating it to a senior assisted living facility.
I had read a review on this book and was intrigued to check it out for a book discussion group I belong to where we alternate fiction and non-fiction. Found the book to be a fun, informative, and overall enjoyable book. Not one for the book group (which is mostly women), but a book I would recommend to others.
Premise was interesting. Quickly devolves into a discordant mix of the driver bragging about himself, being an asshole, and then griping that people treat him like he's an asshole. Well, at least it's internally consistent.
Two stars, for the small nuggets of actually insightful information buried in the manure of the whole.
Two stars, for the small nuggets of actually insightful information buried in the manure of the whole.
Finn Murphy isn't just a trucker. He's a long-haul mover who transports households full of goods from end of the country to another and many places in between. He's erudite and pragmatic. He has a great sense of irony and good humor. This is a terrific memoir. Put it on your summer reading list!
(I got the ARC at ALAMW back in January -- publication date 6/17. I wish I hadn't waited so long to get to it!)
(I got the ARC at ALAMW back in January -- publication date 6/17. I wish I hadn't waited so long to get to it!)
If someone wants to be a trucker, read this. Sometimes it gets garbled, but here are the pluses and minuses; some scenic outlooks don't allow trucks - will you see the country? Back breaking work, to be a mover. He really says - it's better to sell it all and start over than pay the $10-30,000. to move it.
A change of pace book.
A change of pace book.
Easy read about the life of a moving truck driver. It gives some insight into the world of movers and the fraternity of truckers.
There wasn't anything particularly gripping or surprising in the book but it was easy to keep going and hard to put down. I wanted to know what was next for Finn.
There wasn't anything particularly gripping or surprising in the book but it was easy to keep going and hard to put down. I wanted to know what was next for Finn.
This is a fascinating and thorough look at the life of a long haul trucker, you know, those guys with whom we share the road. Just the tip not to hang out near their front tires makes the read worthwhile.
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Finn Murphy grew up in Connecticut and now lives in Colorado. He started working as a long-haul trucker in 1980. The Long Haul is his first book.
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