Go West, Young Man

B.J. Hollars is an associate professor of English at the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire. He is the author of numerous books, including Midwestern Strange: Hunting Monsters, Martians, and the Weird in Flyover Country (Nebraska, 2019) and The Road South: Personal Stories of the Freedom Riders.

"[Go West, Young Man] offers readers an enjoyable and highly readable vicarious adventure while seated by their firesides."-Michael J. Smith, Nebraska History “Go West, Young Man is a sweet read, part memoir, part history, part awakening-both for Henry and for his dad.”-Laurie Hertzel, Minneapolis Star Tribune "This book will give readers a sense that America is a collection of of many people's stories, told and experienced from various walks of life. . . . Go West, Young Man introduces the reader to these stories and provides many jumping-off points for readers who want to learn more about the history and culture of the West."-Joel T. Knudsen, South Dakota History "In a trip echoing John Steinbeck's Travels with Charley, Hollars and his six-year-old son Henry set out to explore the Oregon Trail and discover America. . . . As their journey ends in Oregon, Hollars comes away from the trip with a renewed faith in modern America."-Missouri Historical Review “Hollars resists easy ideas and easy answers, but the insights that he does reach are presented effectively and compellingly. . . . Go West, Young Man asks big questions about the multiplicity of American identities and narratives, and offers us a view toward how a father and son can answer them.”-Colin Rafferty, author of Execute the Office and Hallow This Ground “The Oregon Trail was once firmly woven into America’s idea of itself due in part to chroniclers like Francis Parkman, who lit out in 1846 with horse and mule cart ‘on a tour of curiosity and amusement.’ More than a century and a half later, B.J. Hollars and his six-year-old son embark in a rented vehicle along the same westward route and with the same intention. In this mock adventure, father and son endure prairie swales and cyclonic winds, KOAs and interpretive centers, and self-inflicted dad jokes-all to answer this country’s most enduring question: Who are we?”-John Hildebrand, author of Long Way Round: Through the Heartland by River

• List of IllustrationsAcknowledgmentsAuthor’s NotePrologue1. The Jumping-Off Point2. Stubborn as Mules3. Weathering the Storm4. Faith and Consequences5. Proceed with Caution6. Recalculating the Route7. The Ghosts of Emigrants Past8. Small Kindnesses9. The House Always Wins10. Redrawing the Boundaries11. The Gift12. Reflecting LightNotesBibliography