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The Kindness of Strangers

Penniless Across America

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The Kindness of Strangers

By: Mike McIntyre
Narrated by: Chris Brinkley
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About this listen

A Wall Street Journal bestseller.

Stuck in a job he no longer found fulfilling, journalist Mike McIntyre felt his life was quickly passing him by. So one day he hit the road to trek from one end of the country to the other with little more than the clothes on his back and without a single penny in his pocket. Through his travels, he found varying degrees of kindness in strangers from all walks of life-and discovered more about people and values and life on the road in America than he'd ever thought possible. The gifts of food and shelter he received along the way were outweighed only by the touching gifts of the heart-the willingness of many he met to welcome a lonely stranger into their homes...and the discovery that sometimes those who give the most are the ones with the least to spare.

Audiobook includes an interview with author Mike McIntyre.

©1996, 2010, 2014 Mike McIntyre (P)2014 Mike McIntyre North America Travel Writing & Commentary United States

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Critic reviews

"Could you survive a cross-country trip relying only on the kindness of strangers? Well, Mike McIntyre did. He put our country to the test, and what he found out sure surprised me."-Oprah Winfrey
"An incredible journey."- (CBS News)
"A superb writer."- (Los Angeles Times)
All stars
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liked interview at end had to giggle in a few places. brave inspiring thing to do was verry compelling liked all the way through x

wow loved it

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Brilliantly narated, this emotional tale of a man who was brave enough to travel penniless.

Fantastic opportunity to join a traveller

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A totally absorbing and uplifting read, where those with the least are prepared to give so much. Brlliantly narrated.

An inspirational read.

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Great story, amazing narration, wonderful interview at the end! 20 years on, still an incredible adventure trough the rural roads of forgotten America. Highly recommend!

Great travelogue

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I really enjoyed this, the idea of travelling coast to coast without money is incomprehensible and so reading how he did it was interesting and the characters he met along the way were entertaining and touching in equal measures. I really enjoyed the additional author interviews at the end of the book too, I felt they added real value as you were left wondering what happened afterwards and whether he stayed in touch with any of the kind folks that he met along the way

Good read, well written and an original and interesting idea

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Loved it. Listened to it in record time. I would highly recommend you to listen

What an amazing adventure

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Would you listen to The Kindness of Strangers again? Why?

yes - I always listen to my books more than once as you can gain more of a feel for the author and find bits you may have "missed" before

What did you like best about this story?

I liked the concept of depending on other people and seeing how these people react to the fact he has no money or possessions

What about Chris Brinkley’s performance did you like?

Nice smooth voice, not irritating or too loud

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

In parts it made me chuckle, I didn't full belly laugh just small chuckles - it's not sad enough to make you cry although it does make you think about different parts of society and how they react to him

Any additional comments?

I would recommend this book - its not a life changing book or a great literary read - its just a good enjoyable to "read" (listen too) book and has some good points to ponder and discus with friends

Good concept, well written, interesting story

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