Official Review: The Trip by Jeffrey Koconis

[Tanaya]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Trip" by Jeffrey Koconis.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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The Trip: A True Karmal Korn Adventure is a short memoir by Jeffrey Koconis. The book is about eighty pages long.

The main narrative takes place during the summer of 1972, after the author’s third year in college. He and his friend Kris decided to go on an adventure before the author returned to school in the fall. They quit their jobs and began their journey from Wisconsin, planning to go to San Francisco where the hippie movement was very prominent. Of course, everything didn’t go according to plan. They had to deal with all the mishaps and hurdles that stood in their way, ranging from the difficulty of getting a ride to multiple encounters with cops.

The book begins with a chapter in which the author covers many historic events, like Woodstock, the Vietnam War, and the Civil Rights movement. He provides a general overview of the cultural and political climate at the time, with an emphasis on anti-establishment attitudes. While giving background on this time period, the author impressively ties in snippets of his early years and writes about how his political and personal views were shaped as he was growing up.

By chapter 2, the writing includes dialogue and a more discernable story emerges about this life-changing adventure. Throughout, the book is written in a very personable way. There is nice use of foreshadowing, and the author weaves many lines of reflection into the story. The book is fast-paced, but the length is very fitting. The dialogue could use some polishing, and there were some recurring grammatical errors that need fine-tuning. Overall, I enjoyed the casual, conversational tone.

As for the characters, their experience is incredibly relatable. Growing up is a bumpy road for everybody. At the beginning of the story, the author describes himself and Kris as "young, confident, and understandably a little bit naive." Their journey highlights how important the process of trial and error is to discovering who you really are and what you value most.

I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. Ultimately, it is a coming of age tale that, despite the circumstances, anyone could relate to and even learn from. While it could use some polishing, I thoroughly enjoyed reading about their adventure and the author’s reflections on his youth.

As a warning, there is some cursing in addition to drug use. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in insights about the hippie era and the transition into adulthood.

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The Trip
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Like Tanaya's review? Post a comment saying so!

[Jeffrey Koconis]

I am very grateful for the honesty of this review. The pros and cons are well stated, and it certainly was pleasing to see the overall positive impression. I appreciate that my effort to weave in background information on the times and characters was well received, thank you.

[Tanaya]

You're welcome. I very much enjoyed reading your book

[bookowlie]

Great review! I like that the story includes the historical events and cultural/political climate of the era. It sounds like those additions provide insight in an important period in history.

[Tanaya]

Thanks!