Uncommon Carriers
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Uncommon Carriers Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

John McPhee (Author, Narrator), Recorded Books (Publisher)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 343 ratings
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From Pulitzer Prize-winner John McPhee, author of The Founding Fish, comes the fascinating story of an often overlooked, yet vitally important part of America. This first-hand account of the transportation sector features evocative portraits of the men and women who deliver our consumer and industrial goods.

McPhee begins his adventure riding with Don Ainsworth, owner and operator of an 18-wheeler hauling nearly 30 tons of highly toxic chemicals from North Carolina to Washington. He continues his journey on a towboat pushing over 1,000 feet of barge up the narrow channel of the Illinois River. He rounds out his account crawling through Nebraska, Kansas, and the Powder River Basin of Wyoming in massive coal trains. Along the way, he tells the stories of the people he meets and the places he visits. McPhee's sense of humor, incisive observations, and historical asides make for a highly entertaining journey across America.

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  1. Listening Length
    9 hours and 29 minutes
  2. Author
    John McPhee
  3. Narrator
    John McPhee
  4. Audible release date
    January 29, 2007
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Recorded Books
  7. ASIN
    B000N0WX2K
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 9 hours and 29 minutes
Author John McPhee
Narrator John McPhee
Audible.com Release Date January 29, 2007
Publisher Recorded Books
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B000N0WX2K
Best Sellers Rank #174,748 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#381 in Literary Essays
#3,165 in Essays (Books)

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
343 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Raoul Duke
5.0 out of 5 stars Extraordinary book about ordinary jobs
Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2008
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I was a little reluctant at first to start this book, thinking to myself "how interesting can a book about train engineers, truck drives, and barge pilots be?" But that is precisely McPhee's talent--being able to write interesting, insightful stories about ordinary things we see, and virtually ignore, every day.

The book is a compilation of essays McPhee wrote about his experience riding in an eighteen wheeler, a train, a river barge, and his own canoe (and his experience at the UPS sorting facility). In each essay, McPhee shares very interesting insights from those who perform the jobs that our economy so heavily depends upon. He does an excellent job of sharing the knowledge he learned from each experience while intertwining interesting stories from the people he encounters. The net result is an excellent book that will be both educational and very entertaining.

Upon finishing this book, I realized how insulated we are from the mechanisms that deliver us the things we depend on to live. We use tons of products each day, yet have very little idea of how they got to us. In a very interesting way, this book offers a glimpse into the lives of those who carry the products that keep our economy churning.

I agree with some previous criticism that the chapter about his canoe trip on the Merrimack River, while interesting, is a little out of place. That chapter is more of a book review of Thoreau's work, but it does tie into the theme of "carriers" by discussing how these Eastern rivers were such important trade routes in the 1800s.
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Justin Winokur
4.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting
Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2012
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A friend suggested this book to me after we were talking about CSX and the train lines running through Baltimore. I enjoyed all of the sections of the book that I read. I felt like it was something of an inside view of the transportation world. I kind of got the same feeling out of reading this that I get out of listening to This American Life, though without a real story behind it. I enjoyed how the author made what may even be mundane into something interesting. Obviously, I have no way to confirm, but I felt he not only captured the essence of the characters, but also the environment.

I did skip the whole section on kayaking (or was it canoeing?). I just had no interest. I would have liked it if he could have included more of the background detail on the train segment. I want to know more about how the system works and how things fit together. Furthermore, it would have been nice to have additional modes of transportation discussed. There was no glaring reason for only giving 4 stars other than an overall opinion and feeling.
2 people found this helpful
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Rich Dowd
5.0 out of 5 stars Definitely Worth Reading
Reviewed in the United States on September 10, 2021
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Easy to read, good storyteller, makes great points about work and its broader social and emotional meaning. Gives the reader a lot to think about. The bait is that you get to see behind the scenes of an industry you probably don't think about very often. But that's just to get you to read the lesson that there is value and pride in work done well. If you work with your body as much as your brain you'll enjoy the validation that there is worth (and reward) in doing anything to the best of your ability. If you liked "Shop Class as Soulcraft" give this a try.
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Anne
5.0 out of 5 stars Good read about the rivers in the USA.
Reviewed in the United States on June 16, 2023
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I enjoyed reading the book. I am interested in barges and what they carry.
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Nelson Mostow
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting light reading which exposes the reader to various unsual jobs as seen through John McPhee's unique perspective
Reviewed in the United States on July 16, 2016
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This is an interesting account of various jobs, long distance truck driver, tugboat captain on main inland shipping rivers, train engineer, etc. These accounts were obtained by McPhee traveling with them and reporting on his interactions with them. This is interesting, light reading which exposes the reader to what these jobs are like. As someone with no experience with these careers, I found it informative and entertaining.
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captainmcd
5.0 out of 5 stars Another fine book for the transportation industry.
Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2014
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After reading his "Looking for a Ship" I enjoyed his personal style of writing, and loaded this book into my Kindle. As someone in the transportation industry I travel a lot and can not carry too many books, but don't like kindles because they do not reproduce photos or charts and graphs well. However this book did not need many of these, and it was informative on the ways, means, and methods of travel we do not often think about. His storys give details into the lives of the people who keep our stuff moving around the country.
The only part that seemed out of place was the canoe trip up the river from Massachusetts to New Hampshire, since the canal is no longer used, he could have covered the Erie Canal instead. Anyway it was fun to read.
3 people found this helpful
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raymond joseph steck jr
5.0 out of 5 stars a great read
Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2023
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A great transaction.
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Top reviews from other countries

Andrew Burns
5.0 out of 5 stars a great
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 5, 2017
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A with all McPhee's books, a great read
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The Great Outdoors
3.0 out of 5 stars Not the best John McPhee but the occasional gem
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 28, 2016
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Not his most engaging book compared to Coming Into the Country but still contains some gems.
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