An Odyssey of Becoming

That Summer of '72

By: Celeste Johnson, Bobby Young

Narrated by: Dan Levy

With Wit, Grit, and $100…a hitchhiking adventure
that transcends miles and memories begins

In the summer of 1972, the open road beckoned best friends, nineteen-year-old Barry Johnson and twenty-year-old Bobby Young. Carrying backpacks with the essentials, staples of Kraft Mac and Cheese, dressed in jeans, Frye boots, with $100 each, they set off from their homes in Massachusetts. And so their cross-country adventure began during a time when the bond of trust between driver and hitchhiker was rarely questioned. Little did they know that this journey would shape their lives in ways they could never imagine.

An Odyssey of Becoming unfolds as a true coming-of-age saga. After a first failed attempt to hitchhike in the USA, they buy a bus ticket to Montreal, and hitchhike on the Trans-Canada highway to Vancouver Island, staying in hostels along the way. On the road, they make new friends, are offered refuge in their homes, and immerse themselves in the awe-inspiring beauty of North America.

This journey through breathtaking vistas is not without peril. Buckle up for the ride as they are arrested, nearly decapitated, and asphyxiated, and narrowly escape the clutches of a pair of psychopaths, confronting danger head-on.

Theirs is a story of a moment in time that cannot be replicated. As the mid-1970s dawned, the glory days of hitchhiking faded. Reports of murders, sexual assault, and safety concerns cast shadows on the once-thriving culture. Thumb-out travelers became nostalgic relics, their stories echoing through time.

©2024 Celeste Johnson (P)2025 Celeste Johnson

Two friends and a journey

What I admire about the book is the courage of two friends who take action at that time