[Longhorn Review] My Road Trip to the Pretty Girl Capital of the World
By: Bryan Yansky
Simon hates his life – he doesn’t get along with his adopted parents, his
girlfriend just dumped him, he’s been in trouble with the police for possession of
(and selling) pot, and he hates school. In a fit of desperation, he finds the name
of his birth parents, steals his father’s car, and leaves Iowa in a cloud of smoke.
He hits the road in search of his dream “perfect” parents, picking up all manner of
interesting characters along the way. This book chronicles his travels and his
parent quest, which brings him here to Austin. We get a great picture of what Austin
was like in 1979, when the story takes place. On 6th street, for instance, Simon
encounters a street person who asks if Simon knows him. Simon shrugs. “I’m Jesus
Christ the Savior. I died for your sins. I can’t even afford a cup of coffee. Don’t
you think you could spare a couple of cents for the Savior? Don’t you think that’s
the least you can do?” . . . I reached in my pocket and gave him what I had. He made
a bugle sound by blowing through his closed hand. He turned to me. “May I be with
you,” he said. And yes, as you may have guessed, Austin is the pretty girl capital
of the world.
Reviewer: AJ Johnson
View this item in the Library Catalog
