by Héctor Tobar
First published 2020
Joe Sanderson grows up in middle-class comfort in Urbana, Illinois, but he refuses to settle for an ordinary life. He calls himself a "road bum" and sets out to chase adventure across the globe. His journey takes him from the familiar streets of his hometown to the beaches of Jamaica, the battlefields of Vietnam, the landscapes of Nigeria, and finally to the mountains of El Salvador. Sanderson belongs nowhere and everywhere, collecting stories and experiences as he moves from place to place. He seeks a life worth writing about, one filled with meaning beyond suburban contentment. His restless spirit drives him toward increasingly dangerous territory. In Central America, he joins guerrilla fighters in their struggle, transforming from wandering storyteller to anonymous hero. Sanderson finds his purpose in the most unlikely place, but his quest for an extraordinary life comes at the ultimate cost. Héctor Tobar crafts this tale from Sanderson's own personal writings, blending fiction and nonfiction to create the story Sanderson lived but never wrote himself.
Genres: literary-fiction, historical-fiction, travel, adventure, coming-of-age, biographical-fiction
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, quest, wandering-protagonist
Setting: El Salvador, Illinois, Jamaica, Nigeria, Urbana, Vietnam
Period: 20th-century
416 pages · Hardcover · MCD
Content warnings: violence