Ride My Highway
by Jim SteelePublish: Sep 23, 2017Action & AdventureBook Overview
Ride My Highway tells the story of Tom Jackson, who is actively running away (figuratively and physically), from everything he has grown up with and been taught. The story takes the reader on a journey across the United States, with the vantage point and voice being that of Tom driving his 18 wheeler. Along the way, the reader gets a sneak peek at behind the scenes happenings which used to be commonplace on America’s highways, and truck stops.Over the course of time which stretches from boyhood to his early twenties, Tom learns that by trying to outrun his problems, he is only delaying a final reckoning. At the turn around point of one trip, Tom finds himself wading out into the Pacific, having run away as far as is possible. In this dramatic event, he quickly comes face to face with his mortality.
From this experience, Tom begins to understand that there is no such thing as “running away”, and that the only real action to be taken is to meet his questions and difficulties head on, to learn to understand and deal with them, and to then move on with life. Through the telling of his tale, Tom has learned that there is no magic bullet to fix what bothers him, and that he must be the one to solve and answer his questions.
In many ways, this is a story that many confront and battle with. Although the setting of an over the road trucker might be unfamiliar to some, the story itself is a familiar one to any who have grown up feeling unaccepted or even rejected by family and friends. The reader will quickly discover parallels between themselves and Tom, forcing a turn of the page.
The reader is left as Tom begins a new life, driving back east and back towards everything that he thought he had left behind. The way in which the next chapters of Tom’s life unfolds remain to be seen. However, Tom now understands that everything is up to him, and even though it all might not turn out perfect, he must face life with honesty and determination. Running and trying to forget are no longer options for Tom… or for any of us.
