The latest book in my 2019 reading challenge (it was a quick read) couples the pioneer era struggle of crossing the country by wagon trail with the struggles of adult life.
…And Then You Die of Dysentery: Lessons in Adulting from the Oregon Trail by Lauren Reeves
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Those of us who’ve played Oregon Trail on our home (or school) computers in the 80s and 90s know the struggle of making the trek from Independence, Missouri to Willamette Valley, Oregon is not just about successfully crossing rivers and not running out of supplies, but also not dying of a broken leg.
I myself (and countless others, I’m sure) have seen this fate happen in their lifetime.
…And Then You Die of Dysentery: Lessons in Adulting From the Oregon Trail is a short, humorous look at that struggle from the point of view of a comedian who takes the applications of the game and applies it to the real world of adulting. Combining humorous tidbits and 8-bit graphics of a very late 2010s world set to the beat of the famous pioneer game, you start off taking selfies in Independence…
Googling symptoms of a broken arm along the way (which, like that broken leg, you can die from)…
and every way you could possibly not make it to Oregon…
…before you actually do make it Oregon.
Short, sweet, and to the point, this is an amusing little story that those of us who’ve played the game could find the humor in. Did I like that the phrase “liberal snowflake” showed up in it? Not really, I think that is an overused phrase that even a more Conservative individual (like myself) finds offensive. But I love the 8-bit artwork and the other jokes, it really is a cute book about adulting for the generation that struggled with a wagon full of people to cross the Columbia River.
By the way, that’s something I only managed to accomplish just recently. And only my two closest friends were sacrificed along the way. And my fiancee. My one friend’s husband died early on.
Guess who made it there by themselves? 🙂
File that one under #LifeGoals