RaveStar TribuneEvery once in a while, a book comes along that is so darkly comedic, with such a defined sense of place and filled with characters that range from the fascinating to the bizarre to the earnest, that partway through reading, it hits you: This has got to become a Coen brothers movie. That is the feeling you get when flipping through the pages of Vermont-based journalist Matthew Hongoltz-Hetling’s first book, A Libertarian Walks Into a Bear: The Utopian Plot to Liberate an American Town (and Some Bears) ... Hongoltz-Hetling is a master of the turn of phrase. His voice is breezy and critical, with a finely tuned eye aimed at the absurdities as well as at the earnestness of the Free Town Project ... the only-in-America tale makes for a great read, and someday, hopefully, an even better Coen brothers film.
Mark Bowden
RaveThe Star TribuneIt’s heavy stuff, but something about the way Bowden approaches these topics makes this book an unexpected salve during this age of anxiety. It feels a little loathsome to refer to this book as a joy; after all, each story revolves around the worst moments in someone’s life. But that’s exactly what the book is: an absolute joy to read. Bowden’s writing is a reminder that, in all the complexity of an age of upheaval, there is still good, and there is still evil, and the most interesting parts of humanity lie in the gulfs of gray in between ... Best of all? His stories are serious literary journalism, but they won’t send you into despair like so much in today’s world. You may feel a bit guilty for enjoying them, but Bowden’s stories of humanity’s darkness double as fast-paced mysteries, and it’s easy to simply kick back and enjoy.
