Publisher Description

In Winnebago Nation, popular critic James B. Twitchell takes a light-hearted look at the culture and industry behind the yearning to spend the night in one's car. For the young the roadtrip is a coming-of-age ceremony; for those later in life it is the realization of a lifelong desire to be spontaneous, nomadic, and free. Informed by his own experiences on the road, Twitchell recounts the RV's origins and evolution over the twentieth century; its rise, fall, and rebirth as a cultural icon; its growing mechanical complexity as it evolved from an estate wagon to a converted bus to a mobile home; and its role in bolstering and challenging conceptions of American identity.

Mechanical yet dreamy, independent yet needful, solitary yet clubby, adventurous yet homebound, life in a mobile home is a distillation of the American character and an important embodiment of American exceptionalism, (Richie Rich and Hobo Hank spend time in essentially the same rig at the same campground, albeit for different reasons and in different levels of comfort.) The frontier may be tapped out but we still yearn for the exploratory life. Twitchell concludes with his thoughts on the future of RV communities and the possibility of mobile cities becoming a real part of the American landscape.

Author Biography

James B. Twitchell taught English and advertising at the University of Florida for many years and is the author of Adcult USA, Lead Us Into Temptation, and Where Men Hide. He has traveled up and down the Eastern Seaboard in a small RV with his wife and driven across the Deep South, up to Newfoundland, and all the way to Alaska.

Table of Contents

1. Thoreau at $4.00 a Gallon: The Peculiar Place of the RV in American Culture 2. At Home on the Road: A Fleeting History of the American Dream in RVs 3. Wheel Escape: Consumption Communities on the Road 4. Park It: From Kampgrounds of America to the Slabs 5. The Rise and Fall and Rise and Fall and... of the RV in America Acknowledgments Index

Review

Winnebago Nation draws on James B. Twitchell's own experiences as well as historical and sociological sources to explain the tremendous appeal of the RV for its aficionados, the disdain many Americans feel toward it, and the paradoxical qualities of a population of motorized nomads who seem to seek both individualistic escape and communitarian society. Twitchell locates his interpretation of these questions in the enduring mythos of the road and the frontier; in a lingering Puritanism that demands accountability along with freedom; and in the RV's ability to reconcile autonomy and belonging, wilderness and domesticity. -- Cathy Stanton, Tufts University This engagingly written book looks deeply into the American character, concluding that for a nation of folks who came from elsewhere and have never stopped moving, the recreation vehicle is the artifact that best explains the American character. A mighty good read. -- Michael Aaron Rockland, author of Homes on Wheels With a winning combination of Bill Bryson's dry wit and Mary Roach's eye for the absurd, Winnebago Nation is a historical, psychological, and cultural romp through the quirky landscape of RVing in America. Through it all, Twitchell never loses an educator's fascination with his subject, while maintaining his RV enthusiast's sense of adventure as he explores this uniquely American lifestyle. -- Doreen Orion, author of Queen of the Road: The True Tale of 47 States, 22,000 Miles, 200 Shoes, 2 Cats, 1 Poodle, a Husband, and a Bus with a Will of Its Own Twitchell brings his knowledge of history and literature to bear on the American love affair with the RV, in all it incarnations. RVing in America looks to be a never-ending story, and Twitchell tells it well. An amusing, entertaining, and informative read. -- David Counts, author of Over the Next Hill: An Ethnography of RVing Seniors in North America Twitchell has unpacked a complex and often misunderstood culture, looking at it in a way that recognizes that it is about so much more than a means of transport. Winnebago Nation is an evocative and factual, well-written and well-illustrated exploration of RV culture in the United States. Any reader will want to take to the open road after putting the book down. -- Kate Trant, author of Home Away from Home: The World of Camper Vans and Motorhomes An interesting and informative read that covers a very wide catalog of personal experiences from which every RVer can find parallels to his own travels. -- Al Hesselbart, RV/MH Hall of Fame, author of The Dumb Things Sold... Just Like That!: A History of the Recreational Vehicle Industry in America This work will make even the most skeptical reader appreciate the importance of the RV in American history-no mean feat. Library Journal

Promotional

The popular critic takes to the road to explore the allure of the nomadic life in a house on wheels.

Review Quote

With his evident understanding of the place of the RV in the US, James Twitchell has unpacked what is a complex and often misunderstood culture, looking at it in a way that recognizes that it is about so much more than a means of transport. Winnebago Nation is both an evocative and factual, well-written and illustrated exploration of RV culture in the US. Any reader will want to take to the open road once they put the book down.

Promotional "Headline"

The popular critic takes to the road to explore the allure of the nomadic life in a house on wheels.

Excerpt from Book

Read "Thoreau at 29

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