Old Glory was a particularly interesting read for me because of my own river experiences floating an oil-drum motor raft with a small motor to Memphis from St. Louis 1968, a Jon boat from St. Louis to New Orleans 1973, and working as towboat deckhand in 1977. However, even if you haven’t spent time on the Mississippi, Raban brings his 1979 experience to life with his excellent writing, and pulls off an ending that isn’t an ending as only a literary master could.
I found it “funny” that he never camped on the numerous sand bars but spent plenty of time in river town bars. Perhaps typically British, he had “luggage” and stayed in motels, hotels, and homes, and hitched rides on towboats. However, his goal was to interact as much as he could with people and write about them as much as he described the river. His discussions revealed a political prescience I didn’t expect to find.
(He was pushing 40 so I can understand the luggage. I was in my teens and twenties and no matter how hard I tried, couldn’t come close to matching his descriptions. However, one prize winning twice-published short story, Pluggin’ Leaks, came from my time as a deckhand.)
