One Life at a Time, Please is Edward Abbey’s provocative attack on issues like immigration, feminism, and overpopulation. Abbey has compiled essays that critique society, as well as travel stories with underlying themes that tie them all together. The main theme of every essay is Abbey’s concern for the environment and man’s relationship with it.
In his essays on controversial issues, Abbey usually proposes suggestions that are wildly impractical and shocking. As a means of regulating population, Abbey suggests that we “offer a brand new Mustang convertible to every girl who consents to having her fallopian tubes tied in a Gordian knot.” Abbey then moves on to suggest less outlandish solutions, as well as offer up evidence to support his views.
Abbey also writes travel essays about his experiences in the southwest. Many of these essays are similar to those in another Abbey book, Desert Solitaire. Abbey again demonstrates his ability to make otherwise “ordinary” adventures spectacular. He employs his usual style, with lots of description and humor, which really brings the stories to life.
While One Life at a Time, Please is an interesting book, I would suggest reading Desert Solitaire first. Get a feel for Abbey and his views before reading One Life at a Time, Please; otherwise, Abbeys extreme views might alienate the average reader. Most of the essays are good, but a few just seem like rehashed rants where Abbeys is trying to hard to be funny and angry at the same time. I would heartily recommend this book to anybody who already enjoys Abbey’s style.
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