Red, White, and the Blues A Long and Hard Ride Over Treacherous Terrain

WARNING: if you are a Donald Trump minion . . . then this book is probably NOT for you. "KEEP THE SHINY SIDE UP" Biker, street performer, cab driver, magician, IT/IS specialist, long-haul trucker, soldier, and oil field worker John Richard "Little Ricky" Hall has done damn near everything in this life-and taken more than his fair share of hard knocks in the process. Red, White, and the Blues is both a riveting account of a fateful cross-country motorcycle ride and a searing indictment of the American dream. In 2011, North Dakota's Bakken oil boom was turning the earth (literally) and men (figuratively) inside out, even as it generated unprecedented wealth. John R. Hall was on the verge of securing his future in the Bakken when a confrontation with a coworker led him to leave it all behind and head across the US on his Harley "Deuce." Pursued by the screeching demons of abuse, financial distress, and his own tortured thoughts, John would find heartache and rough terrain on the open road-but also the kindness of strangers and sights of heartbreaking beauty. Part memoir, part collection of essays, part political treatise, Red, White, and the Blues is a must-read for motorcycle enthusiasts and anyone who's struggled to find their place in the world. At turns funny, emotionally devastating, and incisive, Hall's work will enthrall readers as he offers affecting commentary on racism, politics, and depression-as well as friendship and the incomparable freedom of riding long and hard. JOHN R. HALL is author of the HuntingForThompson.com writers blog. John studied journalism, communications, psychology, and the dramatic arts while attending City College in San Diego, California. A lifelong motorcycle enthusiast, John has been a street performer, cab driver, magician, IT/IS specialist, long-haul trucker, soldier, and oil field worker-all while struggling with PTSD, childhood abuse, parental abandonment, and dyslexia. At sixty-two, John now lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he penned the stories of his travels while hoping to get back home to Seattle, Washington.