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Rolling Nowhere: Riding the Rails with America's Hoboes
In Ted Conover's first book, now back in print, he enters a segment of humanity outside society and reports back on a world few of us would chose to enter but about which we are all curious.
Hoboes fascinated Conover, but he had only encountered them in literature and folksongs. So, he decided to take a year off and ride the rails. Equipped with rummage-store clothing, a bedroll, and a few other belongings, he hops a freight train in St. Louis, becoming a tramp in order to discover their peculiar culture. The men and women he meets along the way are by turns generous and mistrusting, resourceful and desperate, philosophical and profoundly cynical. And the narrative he creates of his travels with them is unforgettable and moving.
Hoboes fascinated Conover, but he had only encountered them in literature and folksongs. So, he decided to take a year off and ride the rails. Equipped with rummage-store clothing, a bedroll, and a few other belongings, he hops a freight train in St. Louis, becoming a tramp in order to discover their peculiar culture. The men and women he meets along the way are by turns generous and mistrusting, resourceful and desperate, philosophical and profoundly cynical. And the narrative he creates of his travels with them is unforgettable and moving.
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1984
About the author
Ted Conover
33 books267 followersTed Conover, a "master of experience-based narrative nonfiction" (Publisher's Lunch), is the author of many articles and five books including Rolling Nowhere: Riding the Rails with America's Hoboes, Coyotes: A Journey Across Borders with America's Mexican Migrants, Whiteout: Lost in Aspen, Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing (winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award and finalist for the Pulitzer Prize), and, most recently, The Routes of Man: How Roads Are Changing the World and the Way We Live Today. He is a distinguished writer-in-residence at the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute of New York University."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 111 reviews
April 23, 2015
Part anthropologist, part immersion journalist, part social critic, though with, I think, a unique idealism and a unique realism, Conover strikes me in this, his first book, as a stubborn, gifted, curious, meditative young man beginning to shape a passion and a narrative approach that has lasted all these years. "Rolling Nowhere" reveals him as someone who will to to great lengths to write from a position of insider, though he does so without ever losing sight of his social and cultural positioning in the larger picture of his life.
One thing that struck me in "Rolling Nowhere" and also in reading about his work as a guard in Sing Sing, is his willingness to risk losing himself completely as he works to understand all the mechanisms at play in a given setting or situation. It is almost as if he is very lovingly taking apart a broken, yet magnificent watch, and crawling inside it and settling in with its gears until he can barely distinguish himself from the ongoing activity. He allows himself to feel the brokenness, camaraderie, pressure and desire of the investigated world, but never taking his eyes off the larger structures at work or his own privileged positioning. From what I can gather he tends to investigate extreme circumstances, and to really look for the driving social, emotional and economic forces at play.
After diving (or hopping) into the world of the American hobo (whether or not citizenship is granted, all of the people he encounters in this book are living a hobo life in the U.S.), Conover finds communities of people and more solo fliers who don't fit into any kind of American mainstream. He values their incredible resourcefulness, knowledge and skill. They may not be living in a well-understood, or broadly-accepted way, but they have found some way to take care of themselves -- a way to live in a world that often doesn't have much to offer.
It is painful to see Conover struggling with questions that go something like this: "am I, could I become, a life-long hobo? Could I get lost in this world?" He discovers that there is an almost mystical wall one crosses in order to live as a hobo. And when he crosses to the other side, he is no longer seen by "outsiders" as fully human. On the other hand, he finds that the people he once ignored or looked down upon or saw others look down upon and mistrust, are skilled survivors living in entirely different but overlapping cities and towns. And he finds pleasure in becoming skilled enough to survive in these "other" worlds.
I am going end with a quote from Goodreads member Ron because he captures the spirit of the book so beautifully and succinctly.
"With little knowledge of real hobo life, Conover left college in the East, jumped a train in St. Louis and headed west. In the months that followed, he crossed and recrossed 14 states, meeting and traveling with a dozen or more modern-day hoboes. He learned from them how to survive, living off of handouts, sleeping rough, avoiding the railroad police. And he learned about loneliness and loss of identity.
There are moments of pure pleasure, a tin cup of steaming coffee on a cold high plains morning, the unbroken landscape gliding by open boxcar doors. And there are times when the romance of adventure disappears completely -- in bad weather and bad company."
One thing that struck me in "Rolling Nowhere" and also in reading about his work as a guard in Sing Sing, is his willingness to risk losing himself completely as he works to understand all the mechanisms at play in a given setting or situation. It is almost as if he is very lovingly taking apart a broken, yet magnificent watch, and crawling inside it and settling in with its gears until he can barely distinguish himself from the ongoing activity. He allows himself to feel the brokenness, camaraderie, pressure and desire of the investigated world, but never taking his eyes off the larger structures at work or his own privileged positioning. From what I can gather he tends to investigate extreme circumstances, and to really look for the driving social, emotional and economic forces at play.
After diving (or hopping) into the world of the American hobo (whether or not citizenship is granted, all of the people he encounters in this book are living a hobo life in the U.S.), Conover finds communities of people and more solo fliers who don't fit into any kind of American mainstream. He values their incredible resourcefulness, knowledge and skill. They may not be living in a well-understood, or broadly-accepted way, but they have found some way to take care of themselves -- a way to live in a world that often doesn't have much to offer.
It is painful to see Conover struggling with questions that go something like this: "am I, could I become, a life-long hobo? Could I get lost in this world?" He discovers that there is an almost mystical wall one crosses in order to live as a hobo. And when he crosses to the other side, he is no longer seen by "outsiders" as fully human. On the other hand, he finds that the people he once ignored or looked down upon or saw others look down upon and mistrust, are skilled survivors living in entirely different but overlapping cities and towns. And he finds pleasure in becoming skilled enough to survive in these "other" worlds.
I am going end with a quote from Goodreads member Ron because he captures the spirit of the book so beautifully and succinctly.
"With little knowledge of real hobo life, Conover left college in the East, jumped a train in St. Louis and headed west. In the months that followed, he crossed and recrossed 14 states, meeting and traveling with a dozen or more modern-day hoboes. He learned from them how to survive, living off of handouts, sleeping rough, avoiding the railroad police. And he learned about loneliness and loss of identity.
There are moments of pure pleasure, a tin cup of steaming coffee on a cold high plains morning, the unbroken landscape gliding by open boxcar doors. And there are times when the romance of adventure disappears completely -- in bad weather and bad company."
October 8, 2014
I read this book because riding rails with hoboes was something I always wanted to do as a child. After reading this book I no longer felt the need. The experiences of this book are told in a very real way, and it does describe what life for rail-riders is like. But, the story is lacking and, like the title, goes nowhere.
January 12, 2009
What is most interesting about this book about riding freight trains with the tramps and hobos is that this is from the early 80s, not present day. I know lots of folks who ride freights and many of them have written zines about it. If this book was more present day, I might view it a bit different. Essentially Conover was an east coast college student who decided to experience tramp life riding the rails. He went about it as a bit of an anthropological study and gave himself to it 100%. His experiences are interesting and insightful and while ultimately his young white male middle class privledge gives him an "out" anytime he needs it, he tries not to and consequently learns quite a bit not only about getting around on the rails, but also on surviving in yard jungles amongst those who (mostly) have little or no choice in their circumstances. What is quite depressing is how hard it is to get up and out of the life for most and the drinking that ultimately consumes so many. While some drink their days away, others go for day labor, or welfare, or relief offered at the missions. Conover learns a lot and survives quite well to tell an interesting story. Many things have changed in 18+ years and many have not, just as though much has changed on the rails in 60 years and much has not. I'm curious to check out his other books about Coyotes on the border and working as a guard at Sing Sing.
September 6, 2025
Het boek is erg goed geschreven, en ook aanstekelijk en inzichtelijk (veel over Mexicaanse immigranten), maar Conover zegt wel net iets te vaak hoe erg hij 'flirten met de meiden van College' mist op zijn tour. Ik weet ook niet zeker of hij het ethische dilemma van zijn 'onderzoek' goed oplost, ofschoon hij het regelmatig ter sprake brengt. Conover wil echt leven als een dakloze, maar ondertussen stopt hij toch wel best vaak bij vrienden onderweg met een douche.
April 21, 2012
As a young man, in his early 20s, Ted Conover traveled on foot and by rail over most of the Western states, first with hoboes and then with undocumented farm workers from Mexico. In his travels, he discovered two itinerant worlds, sometimes overlapping, that are often misunderstood, and invisible to most Americans. In many ways naïve and sometimes too trusting, Conover also discovered the limits of his middle class upbringing. His first two books, "Rolling Nowhere" and "Coyotes" were based on his experiences. Together they represent a kind of coming of age in America.
With little knowledge of real hobo life, Conover left college in the East, jumped a train in St. Louis and headed west. In the months that followed, he crossed and recrossed 14 states, meeting and traveling with a dozen or more modern-day hoboes. He learned from them how to survive, living off of handouts, sleeping rough, avoiding the railroad police. And he learned about loneliness and loss of identity.
There are moments of pure pleasure, a tin cup of steaming coffee on a cold high plains morning, the unbroken landscape gliding by open boxcar doors. And there are times when the romance of adventure disappears completely -- in bad weather and bad company. I greatly enjoyed this book and was often touched by Conover's youthful pursuit of independence and experience, often taking risks and crashing head-on into realities he does not anticipate. At the end, the romance of the rails has been pretty much stripped away; he's not sorry, but he's had enough.
His book "Coyotes" is a great companion to this one, as it shows him a little older and somewhat wiser, on yet another risk-taking adventure that throws him into yet another marginal world.
With little knowledge of real hobo life, Conover left college in the East, jumped a train in St. Louis and headed west. In the months that followed, he crossed and recrossed 14 states, meeting and traveling with a dozen or more modern-day hoboes. He learned from them how to survive, living off of handouts, sleeping rough, avoiding the railroad police. And he learned about loneliness and loss of identity.
There are moments of pure pleasure, a tin cup of steaming coffee on a cold high plains morning, the unbroken landscape gliding by open boxcar doors. And there are times when the romance of adventure disappears completely -- in bad weather and bad company. I greatly enjoyed this book and was often touched by Conover's youthful pursuit of independence and experience, often taking risks and crashing head-on into realities he does not anticipate. At the end, the romance of the rails has been pretty much stripped away; he's not sorry, but he's had enough.
His book "Coyotes" is a great companion to this one, as it shows him a little older and somewhat wiser, on yet another risk-taking adventure that throws him into yet another marginal world.
March 25, 2015
A worthy heir to Gonzo Journalism- "Hell's Angels" with hoboes. A very funny and more than a little bit frightening book. A great read! I will look for others by the same author (who made this flavor of immersion journalism his career).
July 25, 2021
The idea of hopping trains and riding around the country seems like a entertaining adventure until the reality of it all comes crashing down. Conover, like most of us, saw the romanticism of the tramp, particularly the more written about one's of the great depression era, but during his travels in the 1980s found out it wasn't quite true. Conover spends a few months learning the ropes to discover if there are still people out there living this way and thankfully he kept a journal and took very good notes so that he could share his experiences. He spends time with numerous tramps all over the western United states. He sleeps in rail cars, on cardboard in the woods surrounding rail yards, and at times for better or worse in charitable buildings of different qualities. While his story was to learn about the rails it's pretty clear it quickly became one about those tramps/hobos he meets along the way. Their lives are far from glamorous and often one has concerns for their mental stability, but it makes for a very interesting read.
April 18, 2024
Kerouac les appelait les "clochards célestes", ces hobos qui parcourent les Etats-Unis à l'œil sur des trains de marchandises. En 1980, Ted Conover décide de quitter le milieu aisé dont il vient pour embarquer avec eux, et nous livre un récit immense et réfléchi.
Cette ode à la liberté sous toutes ses formes, nous offre un vent de plénitude et une reconsidération de ce qui illumine notre quotidien.
Cette ode à la liberté sous toutes ses formes, nous offre un vent de plénitude et une reconsidération de ce qui illumine notre quotidien.
August 30, 2023
Ted Conover's experience, as a young man, of traveling the rails is compelling and insightful. He has a knack with people, listening and empathizing which also shines through in his most recent book, Cheap Land Colorado.
January 4, 2015
I couldn't help thinking of the song "Common People" while reading this song. Conover captures some interesting details of the culture and customs of riding the rails, but the sense that "if you called your dad, he could stop it all." I read the Rolling Nowhere because I was looking for an in-depth history of hobo culture in the U.S.--a book that does not appear to exist in any form--and looked at whatever I could find on the subject. Perhaps my problem with the book is with my own expectations; I thought it would chronicle a legitimately disaffected youth dropping out of society, experiencing the hobo life (and, more importantly, the hobo mindset), and returning to us to tell the tale.
Instead, Conover readily admits in an updated introduction/reflection that he was little more than an average, well-adjusted college graduate looking to make a name for himself as a journalist. Rolling Nowhere depicts his travels in the form of personal essays, where he initially relates to what he experiences like an alien. He tries very hard, as the book progresses, to show that the experience transformed him, but I never got the sense that what got him through it was little more than survival instinct and the knowledge that the anecdotes would build his story to the proper crescendo. It wouldn't surprise me to learn that he played with the real chronology of events for maximum effect.
The writing itself is good, engaging and at times poetic (sometimes self-consciously so), but I wanted at least one of two things from this book: background information on hobo history and the development of the subculture, and/or an experience of hobo life through the eyes of someone who really, truly belonged to that culture. Rolling Nowhere didn't have either, and Conover doesn't provide much insight into the personalities or psychology of the odd characters he meets in his travels. It's a dud, from that perspective.
Instead, Conover readily admits in an updated introduction/reflection that he was little more than an average, well-adjusted college graduate looking to make a name for himself as a journalist. Rolling Nowhere depicts his travels in the form of personal essays, where he initially relates to what he experiences like an alien. He tries very hard, as the book progresses, to show that the experience transformed him, but I never got the sense that what got him through it was little more than survival instinct and the knowledge that the anecdotes would build his story to the proper crescendo. It wouldn't surprise me to learn that he played with the real chronology of events for maximum effect.
The writing itself is good, engaging and at times poetic (sometimes self-consciously so), but I wanted at least one of two things from this book: background information on hobo history and the development of the subculture, and/or an experience of hobo life through the eyes of someone who really, truly belonged to that culture. Rolling Nowhere didn't have either, and Conover doesn't provide much insight into the personalities or psychology of the odd characters he meets in his travels. It's a dud, from that perspective.
April 29, 2025
Wow! This is a new favorite book for me. I liked it better than NewJack, which is technically Ted Conover's most "critically acclaimed" book. I guess that might sound odd, since Rolling Nowhere was Conover's first book that he published when he was like 24, still very much a newbie. He even criticizes his younger self in the forward to the new edition 20 years later, using the word "callow" (a new vocab word for me. Conover is big on those) and expressing horror at how "candid" he was back then. I guess it's tempting for anyone to criticize their younger, less inhibited self. I personally enjoyed his "candor"-- it made his writing feel even more alive-- and I think his "callowness" (you can't see the red squiggly line but apparently "callowness" isn't a word) resulted in a work of unrestrained brilliance.
To think that I almost skipped Rolling Nowhere after I saw others online criticize it! There's a reddit post on r/vagabond (there's a reddit group for literally everything, isn't there?) for modern-day, apparently *very* self-aware hoboes with Wi-Fi connections (it's... pretty hard to imagine the hard-drinking, hard-living guys Conover spent time with having the time to do this, but I'll take the Reddit hoboes' word for it) devoted to trashing the book and its author. I can't help thinking of the way the subjects of the highly regarded LGBT documentary "Paris is Burning" reacted negatively after their documentary premiered. I have wondered for years if they were legitimately misrepresented (I thought the documentary was quite sympathetic, and the subjects were downright iconic) or if human beings are just naturally sensitive to seeing ourselves through someone else's eyes-- kind of like the way we cringe when we hear recordings of our own voice.
Anyway, about Rolling Nowhere: Conover's books aren't super dramatic or action-packed (at least not the two I've read so far), but why would they be? They are real-life portraits of real people whose stories (even the dull, every day parts) sometimes reveal profound things about the human experience. It's actually astounding what a great eye Conover had for these details at such a young age. I'm still processing what I've read, but I'll share some moments/observations that stood out to me:
- Early into his experience living as a railroad tramp, Conover befriend a hobo named Lenny ("tramp" and "hobo" were the common parlance at the time). Famished, they searched a nearby dumpster and found a bag of old potatoes, an onion and a few apples. They returned to their campsite, found a large can to boil water in over a fire and Conover managed to "borrow" salt by knocking on the door of a random house. At this point in his adventure, Conover was still pretty squeamish about eating dumpster food, but that day he learned an important life lesson. In his words: "thinking back on the simplicity of its ingredients and the crude preparation, the stew doesn't sound very tasty at all-- but that morning, in the cool of the hobo tree, enjoying the company of a friendly, professional urban camper and ravenous, it was delicious. We scraped the can clean."
- A common but sometimes degrading experience for railroad tramps was relying on churches and rescue missions, where they were often forced to participate in worship services, treated like pests and even overtly berated (in one passage, by a recovering-alcoholic-turned-preacher who, if I had to guess, still hadn't forgiven *himself* yet). But one of the missions, ran by monks, stood out to me. The monks assured the hoboes "we're not interested in converting you. If you become interested in our way, that's terrific, but we're not pushing anything down your throats." I jotted my thoughts down next to this paragraph: "soft recruitment? Suffering can lead to enlightenment/interest in spirituality" down the line. Perhaps the monks had a wiser approach and a more genuine interest in reaching people than the other missions?
- Later while hitchhiking, Conover was picked up by a wealthy couple in a luxurious van (I didn't know anyone made luxury vans, but then again the book was published in 1980, and the early 80s were just the 70s still clinging on for dear life.) He was disturbed to realize the two were drunk. Here's what he wrote about the experience: "... the poor operated under misconceptions of the rich as well... the idea that wealthier classes were somehow 'better' classes, filled with a finer grade of people. The evidence to the contrary was seated five feet in front of me. Though the driver of the van had been wealthy enough to surround himself in mobile luxury, he was endangering the lives of innocent people, including me.... Were hoboes better people for not having the opportunity to do such harm? Probably not, but they certainly were no worse."
- That said, he doesn't present the hoboes as perfect, noble, suffering heroes (which would arguably be just as insulting as defining them by the worst traits of their group). He presents them as they are-- just as morally gray as everyone else. It really struck me how transactional and fleeting a lot of friendships among hoboes were: he befriended two hoboes, one much older and in bad shape. Eventually he realized their friendship wasn't based in mutual affection, but rather that the old guy needed someone to help him around and the younger guy needed resources. There seemed to be a general fear of getting close to others among most hoboes which, to be fair, often stemmed from their own traumas. But manipulative tendencies are also common, and tensions frequently turned into drunken fist fights: towards the end of the book, Conover stops in to visit some college buddies and one of his friends, Doug, volunteers to tag along and a live as a hobo with Conover. From a story-telling perspective, this was a brilliant move for the book. Doug is a mirror of the naive idealist Conover had been at the start of the book, believing that if he presented his kindest, most genuine self the hoboes would feel comfortable doing the same. The now wiser Conover tried to help him see reality: a lot of these guys would stab you in the back in a heartbeat.
-By the end, Conover was quite disillusioned- he'd had enough and was set on convincing himself he wasn't like the other hobos. "Duh," I thought. "You're a pampered college kid from the suburbs pretending to be a hobo for your anthropology class. You can go home at any time!" But then I thought about it more and I realized where he was coming from. Having experienced my own degradation in life, my own rock bottom, there is an endpoint some of us reach. We realize "this isn't really who I am. I'm better than this," and we find a way to move on.
There's a ton more that I noticed and loved in this book, but my fingers hurt from typing 😂 If I think of something else important I will add more!
To think that I almost skipped Rolling Nowhere after I saw others online criticize it! There's a reddit post on r/vagabond (there's a reddit group for literally everything, isn't there?) for modern-day, apparently *very* self-aware hoboes with Wi-Fi connections (it's... pretty hard to imagine the hard-drinking, hard-living guys Conover spent time with having the time to do this, but I'll take the Reddit hoboes' word for it) devoted to trashing the book and its author. I can't help thinking of the way the subjects of the highly regarded LGBT documentary "Paris is Burning" reacted negatively after their documentary premiered. I have wondered for years if they were legitimately misrepresented (I thought the documentary was quite sympathetic, and the subjects were downright iconic) or if human beings are just naturally sensitive to seeing ourselves through someone else's eyes-- kind of like the way we cringe when we hear recordings of our own voice.
Anyway, about Rolling Nowhere: Conover's books aren't super dramatic or action-packed (at least not the two I've read so far), but why would they be? They are real-life portraits of real people whose stories (even the dull, every day parts) sometimes reveal profound things about the human experience. It's actually astounding what a great eye Conover had for these details at such a young age. I'm still processing what I've read, but I'll share some moments/observations that stood out to me:
- Early into his experience living as a railroad tramp, Conover befriend a hobo named Lenny ("tramp" and "hobo" were the common parlance at the time). Famished, they searched a nearby dumpster and found a bag of old potatoes, an onion and a few apples. They returned to their campsite, found a large can to boil water in over a fire and Conover managed to "borrow" salt by knocking on the door of a random house. At this point in his adventure, Conover was still pretty squeamish about eating dumpster food, but that day he learned an important life lesson. In his words: "thinking back on the simplicity of its ingredients and the crude preparation, the stew doesn't sound very tasty at all-- but that morning, in the cool of the hobo tree, enjoying the company of a friendly, professional urban camper and ravenous, it was delicious. We scraped the can clean."
- A common but sometimes degrading experience for railroad tramps was relying on churches and rescue missions, where they were often forced to participate in worship services, treated like pests and even overtly berated (in one passage, by a recovering-alcoholic-turned-preacher who, if I had to guess, still hadn't forgiven *himself* yet). But one of the missions, ran by monks, stood out to me. The monks assured the hoboes "we're not interested in converting you. If you become interested in our way, that's terrific, but we're not pushing anything down your throats." I jotted my thoughts down next to this paragraph: "soft recruitment? Suffering can lead to enlightenment/interest in spirituality" down the line. Perhaps the monks had a wiser approach and a more genuine interest in reaching people than the other missions?
- Later while hitchhiking, Conover was picked up by a wealthy couple in a luxurious van (I didn't know anyone made luxury vans, but then again the book was published in 1980, and the early 80s were just the 70s still clinging on for dear life.) He was disturbed to realize the two were drunk. Here's what he wrote about the experience: "... the poor operated under misconceptions of the rich as well... the idea that wealthier classes were somehow 'better' classes, filled with a finer grade of people. The evidence to the contrary was seated five feet in front of me. Though the driver of the van had been wealthy enough to surround himself in mobile luxury, he was endangering the lives of innocent people, including me.... Were hoboes better people for not having the opportunity to do such harm? Probably not, but they certainly were no worse."
- That said, he doesn't present the hoboes as perfect, noble, suffering heroes (which would arguably be just as insulting as defining them by the worst traits of their group). He presents them as they are-- just as morally gray as everyone else. It really struck me how transactional and fleeting a lot of friendships among hoboes were: he befriended two hoboes, one much older and in bad shape. Eventually he realized their friendship wasn't based in mutual affection, but rather that the old guy needed someone to help him around and the younger guy needed resources. There seemed to be a general fear of getting close to others among most hoboes which, to be fair, often stemmed from their own traumas. But manipulative tendencies are also common, and tensions frequently turned into drunken fist fights: towards the end of the book, Conover stops in to visit some college buddies and one of his friends, Doug, volunteers to tag along and a live as a hobo with Conover. From a story-telling perspective, this was a brilliant move for the book. Doug is a mirror of the naive idealist Conover had been at the start of the book, believing that if he presented his kindest, most genuine self the hoboes would feel comfortable doing the same. The now wiser Conover tried to help him see reality: a lot of these guys would stab you in the back in a heartbeat.
-By the end, Conover was quite disillusioned- he'd had enough and was set on convincing himself he wasn't like the other hobos. "Duh," I thought. "You're a pampered college kid from the suburbs pretending to be a hobo for your anthropology class. You can go home at any time!" But then I thought about it more and I realized where he was coming from. Having experienced my own degradation in life, my own rock bottom, there is an endpoint some of us reach. We realize "this isn't really who I am. I'm better than this," and we find a way to move on.
There's a ton more that I noticed and loved in this book, but my fingers hurt from typing 😂 If I think of something else important I will add more!
April 21, 2016
I really like Ted Conover. He's a great storyteller with an ethnographer's flair and nowhere is this more evident than in this, his most 'gonzo' book, about riding the rails with hobos. Conover's book reads like an ethnography which perhaps isn't too surprising considering he first thought of it as an anthropology thesis, despite some criticism from his professors. It went on to become, at least in my opinion an american classic, giving us a snapshot of survival and freedom on the raggedy edge of society in the 80s.
Enthralled by stories of hobo wanderers and folk songs Conover went out to seek the last few of these american legends in the 80s. What he found was amazing. A cadre of the last few hardened hoboes, a 'freegan' lifestyle out of necessity rather than hipsterdom and a society that likes the sin but hates the sinner, both in love with the hobo legend and offended by hoboes themselves.
This is probably Conover's best work and I say this having loved Coyotes.
Read it.
Enthralled by stories of hobo wanderers and folk songs Conover went out to seek the last few of these american legends in the 80s. What he found was amazing. A cadre of the last few hardened hoboes, a 'freegan' lifestyle out of necessity rather than hipsterdom and a society that likes the sin but hates the sinner, both in love with the hobo legend and offended by hoboes themselves.
This is probably Conover's best work and I say this having loved Coyotes.
Read it.
February 22, 2023
Eye opening examination of a sub culture not written about, but I found it hard at times to feel sympathy for the characters Conover spent the majority of his time with (racist, selfish, abusive alcoholics) and longed for more time with characters that he has fleeting moments with (Lonny, Sheba, and the migrant workers).
September 2, 2025
3.5 Well-written and an interesting subject. I would love to see what Conover would have written if he took this ride today or even 20 years ago.
July 25, 2011
I read Ted Conover's second book "Coyotes: A Journey Across Borders With America's Ilegal Migrants" (1987) before I read "Rolling Nowhere" and think that "Coyotes" is a far better book if you are going to choose only one. It is more polished in prose and, I think, has a more interesting story to tell. Nevertheless, "Rolling Nowhere" is very good book and a recommended read to those who have ever wanted to hop a freight.
Conover rode the rails in 1980 and the account of his journey gives depth of understanding to the world of hoboes and provides a glimpse into their pysche. Since he first published the book, I think that more info has come to light on homelessness, particularly with the increased problems of homelessness that came with Reagan-era budget cuts. Yet Conover, because of his lived experience with hoboes, offers an empathetic (though not glowing) description of a largely invisible world that goes beyond mere statistics. In the new edition of the book, however, Conover notes that the world of rails and "jungles" that he experienced differs from the experiences of the homeless today. Still, I think a number of themes and characteristics likely carryover.
As mentioned, I read "Coyotes" before reading "Rolling Nowhere." Hence, for me, the most interestings sections of "Rolling Nowhere" were his encounters with undocumented migrants from Mexico and his brief experience in the citrus orchards. His appreciation for the work ethic of undocumented migrants shows in these early encounters and undoubtedly planted the seed of interest that led him to travel, work, and live with undocumented workers. He then chronicled these experiences in "Coyotes," a book that is a must read for anybody concerned with or interested in immigration issues.
Conover rode the rails in 1980 and the account of his journey gives depth of understanding to the world of hoboes and provides a glimpse into their pysche. Since he first published the book, I think that more info has come to light on homelessness, particularly with the increased problems of homelessness that came with Reagan-era budget cuts. Yet Conover, because of his lived experience with hoboes, offers an empathetic (though not glowing) description of a largely invisible world that goes beyond mere statistics. In the new edition of the book, however, Conover notes that the world of rails and "jungles" that he experienced differs from the experiences of the homeless today. Still, I think a number of themes and characteristics likely carryover.
As mentioned, I read "Coyotes" before reading "Rolling Nowhere." Hence, for me, the most interestings sections of "Rolling Nowhere" were his encounters with undocumented migrants from Mexico and his brief experience in the citrus orchards. His appreciation for the work ethic of undocumented migrants shows in these early encounters and undoubtedly planted the seed of interest that led him to travel, work, and live with undocumented workers. He then chronicled these experiences in "Coyotes," a book that is a must read for anybody concerned with or interested in immigration issues.
September 9, 2011
I thought a book about hoboes would be more compelling, honestly. I liked the idea--a young, privileged, white college student takes to the rails to find out what it's really like to live this lifestyle. What's most compelling, to me, is that Conover didn't have a book deal or a travel stipend--he just wanted to do it, so he did it. The book came later.
However, I was hoping for more analysis, more context. What I got was a day-by-day account of Conover's experiences on the rails. In the introduction, Conover says he was reluctant to publish his inner thoughts, so I was expecting more interiority, more rumination on what drove him to take this kind of trip. Nearly halfway into the book, I wasn't getting anything I came for, so I abandoned it. I think Ted would understand. Life's too short.
However, I was hoping for more analysis, more context. What I got was a day-by-day account of Conover's experiences on the rails. In the introduction, Conover says he was reluctant to publish his inner thoughts, so I was expecting more interiority, more rumination on what drove him to take this kind of trip. Nearly halfway into the book, I wasn't getting anything I came for, so I abandoned it. I think Ted would understand. Life's too short.
February 5, 2015
Couldn't decide whether to go with "honest but infuriatingly naive" or "infuriatingly naive but honest"; it's both, and neither wins out. The author was obviously young at the time of writing, and that is just part of the book. Still, it is a story of his adventure, told from his immature point of view. He mentions John Howard Griffin's Black Like Me along the way, but the big difference between these is that Griffin brings along a lifetime of perspective and wisdom to his work that unites the tale into more than a picaresque series of episodes; Conover's feels more disjointed, almost a series of vignettes. Also, he's constantly unsure of who he is in relation to the tramps with whom he lives, invoking a familiar "mid-twenties existential quandary" motif. I'm not sure that this is a coming of age story, but it certainly is a young man's adventure.
July 27, 2011
I've always loved trains and have forever wished I could hop an open boxcar and just see where it takes me! Of course, in my mind's eye I'm sitting with my legs hanging off the side of the train, it's nothing but warm and sunny weather, and I have all of the comforts and provisions I'd ever need...
Ted Conover is my hero -- but for more than just doing this so I can live vicariously through him. In his life, he's repeatedly put himself in the shoes of the misunderstood and disadvantaged, and then wrote compelling books about it so the rest of us can see inside the situations, past our prejudices and pre-conceived notions. His books are fascinating and well-written -- wish he'd do more!
Ted Conover is my hero -- but for more than just doing this so I can live vicariously through him. In his life, he's repeatedly put himself in the shoes of the misunderstood and disadvantaged, and then wrote compelling books about it so the rest of us can see inside the situations, past our prejudices and pre-conceived notions. His books are fascinating and well-written -- wish he'd do more!
May 31, 2026
"Some, especially the young, waved to me, and as I waved back, it finally dawned on me what I had done. I was on a freight! I had hopped it! After weeks of excited anticipation and days of bored, frustrated waiting, my dream was coming true. A big smile crept onto my face and wouldn't go away; I let out a whoop. To know this feeling, it was suddenly clear, was at least one reason I had wanted to take this trip."
Ted Conover is a journalist and author who writes immersive novels of places and people he has experienced firsthand. He wrote about following along with "Coyotes" who lead Mexicans over the U.S. border; his time spent as a guard at the notorious prison Sing Sing in New York; a taxi cab driver hobnobbing with the elite in Aspen, Colorado and living in a community off the grid in "Cheap Land Colorado."
I came to know about Ted at the Tucson Book Festival three years ago when he was a presenter at one of the author panels. I subsequently listened to his Colorado book on Audible, which I thought was fairly good.
This book, Rolling Nowhere" is the one that started his writing career. Taking a break during his college years in 1980, Ted decided to ride the rails and experience the life of a hobo. Leaving from St. Louis with rummage store clothing, a bedroll and notebooks, he spent a number of months hopping different freight trains through the West and Midwest. He befriended hobos and tramps, traveling and living with them in camps and learning how they survived. He wrote down their stories and observed how they maintained relationships riding the rails. He seemed to quickly adjust to dumpster diving for leftover food and visiting the Salvation Army (known as Sally) and Goodwill (known as Willy). He discovered churches that handed out food and clothing after participants worked for a day. He learned how to board and ride the different cars, how to stay safe and defend himself while traveling in a dangerous world.
I found this novel to be utterly fascinating from beginning to end. I love a good adventure story and this one delivered. It was well written and both devastating in depicting the troubled lives of the hobos as well as sometimes humorous in the situations Ted found himself in. For example, in his home town of Denver he fought the urge to call his parents and go home for a meal and to sleep in a real bed again. In the same city, he also found himself in trouble with the law and learned what it was like to go from a "privileged" citizen to one with few privileges. One of the more interesting parts was when Ted realized he had succumbed to the hobo lifestyle more than he ever imagined would happen. Grabbing his toothbrush one night, he ran to the nearest gas station bathroom to thoroughly clean his teeth, relieved that he still had all his teeth to brush.
Five stars ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ for an eye opening, captivating novel. I look forward to reading another novel by this author.
Ted Conover is a journalist and author who writes immersive novels of places and people he has experienced firsthand. He wrote about following along with "Coyotes" who lead Mexicans over the U.S. border; his time spent as a guard at the notorious prison Sing Sing in New York; a taxi cab driver hobnobbing with the elite in Aspen, Colorado and living in a community off the grid in "Cheap Land Colorado."
I came to know about Ted at the Tucson Book Festival three years ago when he was a presenter at one of the author panels. I subsequently listened to his Colorado book on Audible, which I thought was fairly good.
This book, Rolling Nowhere" is the one that started his writing career. Taking a break during his college years in 1980, Ted decided to ride the rails and experience the life of a hobo. Leaving from St. Louis with rummage store clothing, a bedroll and notebooks, he spent a number of months hopping different freight trains through the West and Midwest. He befriended hobos and tramps, traveling and living with them in camps and learning how they survived. He wrote down their stories and observed how they maintained relationships riding the rails. He seemed to quickly adjust to dumpster diving for leftover food and visiting the Salvation Army (known as Sally) and Goodwill (known as Willy). He discovered churches that handed out food and clothing after participants worked for a day. He learned how to board and ride the different cars, how to stay safe and defend himself while traveling in a dangerous world.
I found this novel to be utterly fascinating from beginning to end. I love a good adventure story and this one delivered. It was well written and both devastating in depicting the troubled lives of the hobos as well as sometimes humorous in the situations Ted found himself in. For example, in his home town of Denver he fought the urge to call his parents and go home for a meal and to sleep in a real bed again. In the same city, he also found himself in trouble with the law and learned what it was like to go from a "privileged" citizen to one with few privileges. One of the more interesting parts was when Ted realized he had succumbed to the hobo lifestyle more than he ever imagined would happen. Grabbing his toothbrush one night, he ran to the nearest gas station bathroom to thoroughly clean his teeth, relieved that he still had all his teeth to brush.
Five stars ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ for an eye opening, captivating novel. I look forward to reading another novel by this author.
June 8, 2026
i love Conover's books. I bought this one and Coyotes together and am very much looking forward to reading Coyotes soon. In my job, I interact with transient people a lot and because I live in Central Florida and it's mostly warm all year round, I see them everywhere. I don't know how they live like they do, even though I find that for some of them it is by choice. The system is set up against them, and it's an endless cycle of being arrested over some BS charge like trespass or urinate in public, they spend the night in jail and are usually time served at initial appearance the next day. The county never gets fees from them, and their court costs are never paid either. Conover talked about decriminalizing a lot of these charges, and that was back in the 80s. If nothing, cities have made it even harder to be homeless. Whole blocks of businesses have set up trespass zones; which means they have criminalized being homeless. The social networks of giving the free bags of food and clothes probably don't exist in my cities anymore either. There's no easy answer. I applaud Conover for taking the deep dive into the lifestyle so that people could see what it's all about. I'm sure being young and male helped tremendously.
December 25, 2022
I think I expected more from this book than what I got. I suppose when I think of riding the rails I think of more excitement based on the rail riders that I've talked to. There were some situations that arose that were sketchy and could have brought on different results but the stories on a whole seemed somewhat tame compared to what was in my mind.
I also had to remind myself that this was written in 1981 and the language used to describe people isn't the language we would use today. That threw me off a bit.
Overall, the book was interesting and I did enjoy it and commend the author for once again putting himself in situations where he can really experience the experience for himself instead of watching and judging from the sidelines. He has more balls than I would.
I have looked at the other book titles by this author and have chosen 2 more titles to read as they sound good and I hope they are as experiential as what I've read so far.
I also had to remind myself that this was written in 1981 and the language used to describe people isn't the language we would use today. That threw me off a bit.
Overall, the book was interesting and I did enjoy it and commend the author for once again putting himself in situations where he can really experience the experience for himself instead of watching and judging from the sidelines. He has more balls than I would.
I have looked at the other book titles by this author and have chosen 2 more titles to read as they sound good and I hope they are as experiential as what I've read so far.
October 26, 2023
I read books like this because I want to learn about different ways of living. Unfortunately, I never felt like I got a real sense of what it is like to be a train-riding hobo. This is partially because Ted glosses over much of the details of daily life on the road and also because Ted himself does not fully embrace the hobo mentality/identity.
Ted employs a style common among non-fiction writers where the emphasis is on the contrast between the lifestyle of the writer and lifestyle they are exploring (as opposed to focusing on the lifestyle of interest itself). This style is helpful in understanding how an experience changed the author, but this detached perspective can detract from immersion in and understanding of the topic. Maybe I've read too many similar works recently, but this style feels ineffective and narcissistic.
To me 'Salvation on Sand Mountain' remains the guiding light of what amateur anthropology should be.
Ted employs a style common among non-fiction writers where the emphasis is on the contrast between the lifestyle of the writer and lifestyle they are exploring (as opposed to focusing on the lifestyle of interest itself). This style is helpful in understanding how an experience changed the author, but this detached perspective can detract from immersion in and understanding of the topic. Maybe I've read too many similar works recently, but this style feels ineffective and narcissistic.
To me 'Salvation on Sand Mountain' remains the guiding light of what amateur anthropology should be.
January 5, 2025
Suddenly realizing I was leading a discussion on this book next week, I sat down to read this in one go. I already knew I was partial to this author after reading "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" and this did not disappoint although it was clear this novel was rougher than the first I'd read by this author.
The artless writing by Conover of his experiences is very appealing and brings an honesty and insight to what so easily could have been written as an outsider. I appreciated his candor as he described both his initial fears of hitting the rails as his later concerns of becoming a tramp.
The freedom of this lifestyle leads to many sacrifices, not the least of which is true companionship, something I had not considered before I had read this book.
Recommended for anyone interested in this increasingly non-existent way of life.
The artless writing by Conover of his experiences is very appealing and brings an honesty and insight to what so easily could have been written as an outsider. I appreciated his candor as he described both his initial fears of hitting the rails as his later concerns of becoming a tramp.
The freedom of this lifestyle leads to many sacrifices, not the least of which is true companionship, something I had not considered before I had read this book.
Recommended for anyone interested in this increasingly non-existent way of life.
May 16, 2025
An interesting book about a young man, quite naive, who sets out in 1980 to enter the world of hobos riding the rails. He has a romantic idea of their life of freedom and slowly learns of the more harsh reality, though never quite lets go of his original romantic dreams.
I enjoyed the book from two perspectives. First, as a description of a world which is now vanished, as changes in the way that railroads operate make riding the rails nearly impossible today. Second, as the story of a young man struggling to find his place in the world, and learning about himself as he embarks on his grand adventure across America.
I enjoyed the book from two perspectives. First, as a description of a world which is now vanished, as changes in the way that railroads operate make riding the rails nearly impossible today. Second, as the story of a young man struggling to find his place in the world, and learning about himself as he embarks on his grand adventure across America.
October 21, 2018
This is a worthy read, but somewhat dated as to details (the events narrated take place the '80s). I do not suggest a trip as Conover took, but the characters that he describes are interesting. I also suggest that the last chapter raises the questions I had been thinking of as I was reading the text. That is - what 'variance' are we as society willing to tolerate, and why? What room do we make for those who cannot or do not fit into what we define as 'normal'?
September 15, 2022
The story about daily life (where you sleep, what you eat, how you get on the trains and avoid detection) was fairly interesting. The descriptions of characters he meets, not so much. The author is pretty young (22?) at the time and he does have some great observations about what he sees while traveling the US by train. However, it's just not as compelling as I would have expected. Still, very much worth ready.
March 30, 2023
So much better than the Cheap Land Colorado I read earlier this year. This first book of tramping/hoboing by train rail around the country is a rea page turner, even if it takes place @1980.
Quite a bit of racist terminology as it seems that 95% of all hobos are racist, alcoholics, mental, violent, ex-cons, on drugs etc. Slightly higher percentage than society in general, hence why they’re riding the rails…. very interesting read.
Quite a bit of racist terminology as it seems that 95% of all hobos are racist, alcoholics, mental, violent, ex-cons, on drugs etc. Slightly higher percentage than society in general, hence why they’re riding the rails…. very interesting read.
October 4, 2024
Great Book! 10 out of 10. College graduate (anthropologist) wanted to understand the hobo culture/nomadic lifestyle. He essentially becomes a hobo, and over many months reaches a level of comfortability surviving as a somewhat seasoned hobo. When he reaches a point of no return, he returns to civilization. It’s an excellent book. His transformation is fascinating. He set out not merely to write about which he studied, but chose to “become” to better understand.
May 9, 2017
Conover rides trains across the American West for several months in 1980 or so, befriending hoboes and learning about their lives. His reflections are about what you'd expect for a college-age white male from the upper middle class slumming it for a while, but it's still a lively mix of reporting, anthropology, and adventure.
July 10, 2017
This is an interesting book written by a (then) 22 year old college student in the 80's after he decided to take some time off from school to "ride the rails" and study the hobo/tramp culture. Although hobos riding on trains are mostly now history, the culture of these homeless people most surely parallels that of today's homeless communities/culture.
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