Hobo Sapien: Freight Train Hopping from Tao to Zen

Wayne Iverson
Robert D. Reed Publishers (2010)
ISBN 9781934759431
Reviewed by Marty Shaw for Reader Views (12/10)

 

Wayne Iverson lives an interesting life. He didn’t become a hobo because of any misfortune, but to satisfy an unfulfilled sense of adventure. He later became a monk because of a similar desire to learn more about the spiritual side of life. These two seemingly different paths converge to transform him into a ‘hobo sapien.’ According to Iverson, ‘hobo sapien’ means wise hobo and he explains that both hobos and mystics lessen their material desires. While mystics do it to focus on their souls, hobos do it to experience freedom. Iverson further explains that there are two types of freedom – freedom without responsibility and the type of freedom we should all try to achieve, freedom with responsibility – doing what we ought to do when we ought to do it.

The author’s adventures are mixed with life lessons learned while hopping trains but the entertainment value is never over-ridden by any type of preaching. The types of moral lessons tucked within the pages can best be described with an example from the chapter titled “The Headless Hobo,” where he describes the time that he stood up on a boxcar while facing the caboose. He noticed that his shoe was untied so he kneeled down to tie it. Mere seconds after stooping down, the train went under a low bridge. Lesson learned?

“When riding a freight train, it’s extremely important to know what’s going in front of you. Looking backwards can be hazardous to your health. It’s like nostalgia. It faces you toward the caboose of life. The good old days were rarely that special. Live in the present and face forward or life might just knock your block off.”

In addition to the rail-riding tales and the small doses of spiritual insight, Iverson’s stories also provide a brief history of the various rail systems that stretch across the terrain. In telling the history of the railroad, he also provides a history of the land and some of the events that shaped it.

“Hobo Sapien: Freight Train Hopping from Tao to Zen” is a fun book to read that offers just the right amounts of spirituality, history, and hobo adventure. No one part overpowers the other so the reading remains light, entertaining, and informative all at the same time. Those who enjoy light-hearted non-fiction adventure, spiritual zen-like lessons taught through life stories, or the history of the American West will find this book especially enjoyable.

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