Like Jack Kerouac's intrepid little sister, Ariel Gore spins the spirited story of a vulnerable drifter who takes refuge in fate and the shadowy recesses of a string of glittering, broken relationships. With just a few pennies and her I Ching, a change of clothes and a one-way ticket to Hong Kong, a perceptive, searching sixteen-year-old Gore makes her way from the sterile suffocation of the Silicon Valley through the labyrinthine customs of Cold-War China, wanders through bustling, electric Kathmandu, and hunkers down in an icy London squat with a prostitute and a boyfriend on the dole. Yet it is in the calm, verdant landscape of rural Italy where, pregnant and penniless, nineteen-year-old Gore's adventure truly begins. An illuminating glimpse into the boldly political Gore-creator of HipMama.com and Hip Mama magazine-this unflinching memoir offers a poignant exploration of the meaning of home and surveys the frontiers of both land and heart.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
A perfect book - highly recommended:
This is exactly the kind of book I love: Adventure, travel to exotic places, a gutsy individual overcoming obstacles and finding her own way in life. I also recommend another Ariel Gore book: The Traveling Death and Resurrection Show.
A Fresh, New Voice of Life:
Ariel Gore has as unique voice or feel to this memoir, which is refreshing, searching, and magnetic.
Before I read this, I had my doubts. How would I, a sixty-seven year old man, get through the story of a wondering young teenage girl?
Her story was like a magnet, it it I found my own life-long seeking of purpose, inner peace and God.
The only distraction to me, mentioned by other reviewers, was the overly detailed recounting of drug and alcohold usage.
Apathy = Brave?:
Since when did apathy become brave and stoned self absorption become enlightenment. This book is about a woman who made one interesting decision (to travel at a young age rather than complete high school in a California suburb) and then spends the rest of the journey/book making poor and predictable decisions with the occasional foray into no decision making whatsoever. This author is extremely invested in her own image of herself as a ground breaking too-cool-for-you darling of the backpack traveling set.... more info
The Ultimate Hip Mama:
In this memoir Ariel Gore (aka Ghost Girl, aka Hip Mama) tells of her wanderings around the globe in her teen years. The memoir is bittersweet and leads up to the birth of her daughter. Inspiring and intelligent any mama/poet/wanderer/questioner will love Ghost Girl's crisp prose and moving metaphors.
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