The American Dream
Walking in the Shoes of Carnies, Arms Dealers, Immigrant Dreamers, Pot Farmers, and Christian Believers
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Avalon Publishing Group
Published:23rd Sep '08
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
For some, the American Dream is a pre-fab house in the suburbs with 2.5 kids and a two-week vacation at the end of the year. To others, it is working a push fruit cart in Oakland in order to put food on the family's table in Oaxaca. In The American Dream Harmon Leon draws upon his experiences of adopting personas and disguises to infiltrate the various institutions of everyday life, living among a diverse range of subcultures and learning first hand how they see their vision and utopia. His incursions include working as a marijuana farmer in a hippie commune in Northern California becoming a carnie in rural Indiana visiting a tourist attraction in Mexico (that allows people to simulate illegally crossing the border) venturing to Hollywood while trying to climb the ranks in the star-making machine and working in the strawberries fields of California with newly arrived immigrants. The American Dream is a funny, satirical, and ultimately poignant take on what it means to be an American today.
CivilianReader Sprinkled with serious observations and facts, Leon manages to get across the real nature of all these people; describing the difficulties faced by illegals, for example, but also painting honest portraits of his subjects that both entertain and enlighten... And because Leon doesn't focus solely on the usual subcultures (i.e. Christians), The American Dream will surely have something for anyone interested in reading a little more about the less-'standard' people in America." Rocky Mountain News "This book will make your sides hurt...A master of disguise - and literary hijinx - Leon satirizes all that's comical and commendable about the American Dream." Carson Daly, on Last Call with Carson Daly "Dangerous, endlessly entertaining...Read the book it's fantastic. Trust me this is great!" Boulder Weekly "In a quasi-democratic, pseudo-caplitalistic society like ours, citizens tend to create extremist subcultures, and Gonzo chameleon Harmon Leon has made a career out of infiltrating those eccentric covens." The Guardian, UK "This manic mix of Borat and Hunter S Thompson is amusing"
ISBN: 9781568583525
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
304 pages