Little America

by Rob Swigart

Binding Unknown, Date not stated

Genres: Fiction

Paperback

First published January 1, 1977

About the author

Two recent books:

Mixed Harvest: Stories from the Human Past came out in late 2019. In unforgettable stories of the human journey, a combination of compelling storytelling and well-researched archaeology underscore an excavation into the deep past of human development and its consequences. Through a first encounter between a Neanderthal woman and the Modern Human to the emergence and destruction of the world’s first cities, Mixed Harvest tells the tale of the Neolithic Revolution, also called the (First) Agricultural Revolution, the most significant event since modern humans emerged. Rob Swigart’s latest work humanizes the rapid transition to agriculture and pastoralism with a grounding in the archaeological record.

Just out: Python, third in the Lisa Emmer series:

by Rob Swigart (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
Book 3 of 4: The Lisa Emmer Series
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EVERYONE WANTS A PIECE OF HIM…HE HAS A MILLION
VIDEO FOLLOWERS AND HE’S ONLY SIX YEARS OLD—
To his mom, he’s just sweet Félix, a very special six-year-old. She doesn’t understand him, but she loves him to bits.

To his million young video followers, he’s their beloved science teacher.

To the little-known Delphi Agenda, working, as always, for peace and harmony, he’s not only a prodigy, he’s a prophet with the potential to become more powerful even than Lisa Emmer, the current Delphic Oracle. Perhaps even the power to save the world from humanity’s dumpster fire.

But to a few others who understand how enormous his powers are, he’s a pawn they could put to their own use.

So everyone wants a piece of him. Kidnapping is not off the table.

In fact, it’s pretty likely. He and Lisa, his mentor, can see that coming a mile away.
A crooked Cardinal has his own ideas and Python, a pharmaceutical company run by a pair of sketchy twins, needs him for their own “world-changing” project. Then there’s the fanatical cult that first predicted his birth. They want him back.

The Delphi Agenda’s job is to keep him safe. But does he really need them? Half the fun's watching his innocent brilliance effortlessly deflate the kind of twisted, power-hungry villains that threaten the Agenda and its ideals.

Fans of intrepid women sleuths will love Lisa Emmer, as well as anyone smitten with the romance of the ancient world, action-adventure in historical fiction, and thriller conspiracies.

But this thoroughly modern tale of historical sleuthing has a little something for everybody: a high-tech invention that dances on the edges of sci-fi, excursions to various historical locales in Europe to delight armchair travelers, and a literary trail of crumbs to charm puzzle lovers.

In addition, author Swigart offers a wonderfully hopeful worldview that will intrigue not only mystery readers, but devotees of Merlin Sheldrake, Michael Pollan, and the world of fantastic fungi.

Reviews

[🐴 🍖]

in terms of satirical targets (graft in the m.i.c.; the fast food industry preying on strange addictions), unimpeachable; where it stumbles somewhat is in having a huge and ever-growing cast of characters, most of whom never rly get differentiated from one another meaningfully. like, a satire doesn't gotta have 3D chars by any stretch, but when there's a whole mess of them running around sounding alike and acting alike, fatigue sets in. at the end of the day, still worth it for death by bomb shelter, orville's tender relationship w/ a nuclear warhead, & learning the secret ingredient in the kernel's special sauce

[Marvin · Rating 4 out of 5]

An obscure classic of the 60s and 70s counter-cultural persuasion. It's a little Brautigan, a little Tom Robbins and just a nibble of Hunter S. Thompson. It is odd that Swigart never caught on beyond a small cult following. He has all the wit and maybe a little more humanity than some of those more famous writers I mentioned. I received my copy in the late 70s from a writer friend who raved about this book and he was right. I really need to reread it.

[Rachel P.]

Not a big fan of this book. I hated the way it bounced back and forth between characters.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice book, read long ago in 1978.

[Debra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Little America (copyright 1977) is a bit like Chaucer’s Miller’s tale on steroids. Its deliberate architecture has more words (grouped in short bursts; 100 chapters of 2-3 pages), more raunch, more characters, more storylines, and an Oedipal complex or two thrown in for good measure, all weaving together toward a surprisingly tame climax-—yes, I used “climax”—compared to the outrageousness of the rest of the book. Of course, while the miller tells his tale as a diversion during a journey to the shrine of Sir Thomas Becket, Swigart’s story includes the journey itself, to Little America, Wyoming, “the largest service station in the world,” where one can find food and gas, and maybe sex in an Airstream trailer and a small atomic bomb.

[Jen Simitoski · Rating 4 out of 5]

My dad doesn't have many books, but the books that he does have are strange. This was one of them, and it's a classic.