One Hundred Miles from Manhattan
by Guillermo Fesser
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Pub Date Mar 25 2014 | Archive Date Jun 25 2014
Open Road Integrated Media | Barcelona eBooks
Description
One Hundred Miles from Manhattan is a fresh, funny, positive and affectionate portrait of life in small-town America—and beyond. This book is filled with the stories of the people Fesser met, the places he visited and the things he learned during his year in Rhinebeck, from the German neighbors who welcome in the New Year by jumping back and forth from the couch to the coffee table to a Texan rancher who follows Native American traditions in the raising of bison; from a guide who leads fishing expeditions into Alaska’s Kuskokwim Mountains to the engineer responsible for the steam conduction system in Manhattan’s underbelly; and from a former follower of Reverend Moon turned track coach to the man who created Big Bird.
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A Note From the Publisher
Fesser studied journalism at the Universidad Complutense of Madrid and filmmaking at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, via a Fulbright scholarship. He has written and directed films; edited and hosted television news programs; and published articles in the major Spanish newspapers El Pais and El Mundo.
Fesser lives with his family in Rhinebeck, New York, where he broadcasts weekly stories on life in small-town America to Onda Cero Radio in Spain and blogs for The Huffington Post.
Advance Praise
“One Hundred Miles from Manhattan is a book that Jon
Stewart should have written. But he couldn’t have since he rarely leaves
Manhattan. Thankfully Guillermo Fesser did. This famous Spanish wit
dispels pre-conceived notions about America by using good old wanderlust
and fresh eyes to document what a rich country we are. Not materially;
but in spirit, history and character. Guillermo should sit back down and
try his hand at the great American novel.” —Bill Owens, Executive
Editor, 60 Minutes, CBS
“Fesser looks at daily life through a unique lens. One Hundred Miles from Manhattan is wacky, funny and full of characters I would like to meet. Bravo!” —Pedro Almodóvar, Filmmaker
“Guillermo Fesser’s never-ending curiosity delivers in One Hundred Miles from Manhattan an
exciting mix of history, ordinary tales and fun facts that will provide
American readers with a better understanding of their surroundings.
With fast-paced and witty storytelling, going well beyond the
stereotypes and clichés we are so used to hearing about America, Fesser
captures the true essence of this country and its people, their vast
cultural wealth and exhilarating complexity.” —Juan Manuel Benítez,
Anchor, NY1, New York City
“As he struggled to reconcile
what he learned from the people he met with his preconceptions about the
U.S., their tales became fodder for a bestseller in Spain: A Cien Millas de Manhattan.
In essence, it is his personal meditation on the unexpected Americas he
discovers. Now the book has just been translated into English, giving
Guillermo a crack at surprising you about a place you know. You should
let him. Who better than a kind-hearted foreigner to help you marvel at
our own land and learn something about your fellow Americans?” —Nick
Leiber, Editor, Bloomberg Businessweek, New York City
Available Editions
| EDITION | Ebook |
| ISBN | 9781480489936 |
| PRICE | $9.99 (USD) |
Featured Reviews
David W, Media/Journalist
There is something about America that causes Europeans to want to write about it in great, fascinated, loving detail. From the varied landscape, to the varied flora and fauna, to the varied populace, the volumes keep coming. It started with Lafayette before the ink had dried on the founding documents, and the latest comes from Guillermo Fesser, a worthy descendant.
Fesser is a major league radio talk show host in Madrid, and his wife is from Rhinebeck, NY. So we get a Spaniard's appreciation of life in a small town in upstate New York, where everyone knows everyone, including their life histories. His take on modern American customs and habits, always tinged with his very conscious appreciation of pop culture and brands, makes this a fairly piercing portrayal of life here. What we take for granted are discoveries for him.
The book is 12 chapters - the months of one year in Rhinebeck - with a couple of side trips to Texas and Alaska to broaden the perspective. Rhinebeck - its people and its history - is plenty interesting, but its residents' connections to the world are leveraged well too. There are no earth shattering revelations, no memorable quotes..It's just a fresh perspective on life in smalltown USA.
Fesser is a fortunate choice for the task. He is a gentle soul who is endlessly patient and a sponge for everything in his purview. He takes absolutely everything in his stride. No setback, no faux pas is a barrier The roller coaster of life in America never gets him down. He pries stories out of people easily, and adds his own research to give body and more fullness to some of the events and concepts he discusses. He is shamelessly faulty and human. He and his whole family (his brother too, down the street) set up life in Rhinebeck, for a the long term. This no hop on-hop off tour bus.
The epilogue says he is back in Rhinebeck for more. One Hundred Miles from Manhattan is clearly a labor of love.
David Wineberg
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