REVIEW 1

Reviewed in the United States on September 17, 2022

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I’m a high school English teacher in hard core, working class, rust-belt America. This book came
recommended by a Teamster’s Union Business Agent. He promised that the book would be ideal for my senior level Honors Class. Initially I was skeptical. Knowing the dearth of authentic working class literature, I expected a Harvard graduate’s fictional impression of working class adventures. I was quite wrong. The author was authentic, and not a graduate of an Ivy League school. 

Each of the twelve stories explores different aspects of blue-collar life in America. The author focuses on dockworkers and truckers, but believe it or not, transsexuals, prostitutes, crooked cops and strippers, all play a role in the tales. There are comical stories of hillbilly ho-downs, stories of transsexual rape and its impact, stories of women truckers demanding equal pay, stories of race and unwanted children. There is no overt sex in the stories, and only three have any violence depicted, and very little cussing. This book is an ideal way for my senior level class to get a grasp on genuine working class issues.

For anyone interested in a genuine look and feel of the real working class, I strongly recommend this book. Forget Hollywood’s fevered imaginings; this collection is the real deal and offers the reader an authentic glimpse into the heart of what troubles America’s working class.

Reviewed in the United States on May 22, 2025

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About five years ago, I bought this book for my father. He’d been a truck driver his entire life, and I thought this would be a good read for him. In fact, before he passed, I think he read through this book twice. He commented a couple of times on the authenticity of the work and how some of the stuff was so funny, it reminded him of things that had happened to him. I’ve only read two or three of the stories myself. They seem well written and they are entertaining even for somebody who is not a professional truck driver. And all in all, I would consider this a fine read for anybody Who wants to know something about how the working class lives.