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Walden on Wheels: On The Open Road from Debt to Freedom

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Description

In this frank and witty memoir, Ken Ilgunas lays bare the existential terror of graduating from the University of Buffalo with $32,000 of student debt. Ilgunas set himself an ambitious mission: get out of debt as quickly as possible. Inspired by the frugality and philosophy of Henry David Thoreau, Ilgunas undertook a 3-year transcontinental jour¬ney, working in Alaska as a tour guide, garbage picker, and night cook to pay off his student loans before hitchhiking home to New York. Debt-free, Ilgunas then enrolled in a master’s program at Duke University, determined not to borrow against his future again. He used the last of his savings to buy himself a used Econoline van and outfitted it as his new dorm. The van, stationed in a campus parking lot, would be more than an adventure—it would be his very own “Walden on Wheels.”Freezing winters, near-discovery by campus police, and the constant challenge of living in a confined space would test Ilgunas’s limits and resolve in the two years that followed. What had begun as a simple mission would become an enlightening and life-changing social experiment. Walden on Wheels offers a spirited and pointed perspective on the dilemma faced by those who seek an education but who also want to, as Thoreau wrote, “live deep and suck out all the marrow of life.” Read more

Publisher ‏ : ‎ New Harvest


Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 14, 2013


Edition ‏ : ‎ 4/14/13


Language ‏ : ‎ English


Print length ‏ : ‎ 320 pages


ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 054402883X


ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 38


Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9 ounces


Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.31 x 0.86 x 8 inches


Best Sellers Rank: #578,431 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #311 in Travelogues & Travel Essays #445 in Author Biographies #3,341 in Sociology Reference


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Top Amazon Reviews

    • Wanted to hate it, but loved Walden on Wheels!
Format: Kindle
Ken Ilgunas was a 20-something graduate student when he decided to move into a van to save on room and board. Out of that experience came this book, "Walden on Wheels." Frankly, I wanted to dislike it. Here was this Millennial stealing Thoreau's book title that referenced Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts. This title graft scared me, but as I continued reading Ilgunas' book, I realized I loved it! Ilgunas was, unfortunately, one of the countless many students in tens of thousands of student loan debt. And he was desperate to make a change. Through powerful storytelling, adventure, and honesty, he hooked me. I couldn't put the book down -- he was speaking to me and my generation's struggle to afford and attain a higher education. But rather than be an alarmist, Ilgunas was a voice of reason, hard work, and perseverance. While understanding the pull to take out student loans and enjoy some comfort financially, Ilgunas decided to stay away from it all by buying a van and bucking the horrific acceptance of debt. He didn't accept any of it, and refused to be complacent. This dedication likely made him able to pay off the debt in record time. I connected with his monk-like celibacy that is associated with not ever wanting to be controlled by external forces (i.e., student loan debt and women). By separating himself from much of the dating world, it seemed to enable his more frugal, spendthrift ways. I only have a couple, relatively minor critiques of the book. Ilgunas sometimes became overly reliant on the use of cavalier analogies and trumped up story telling. And, he eschewed the U.S. government's food stamp (SNAP) program. His reasoning centered on not wanting handouts from anybody or any entity. Understandable that he wanted to be an independent, self-sufficient man, Ilgunas happily received his end-of-year tax refund. So, while likely qualifying for the food stamp assistance, and benefiting from a large tax refund, he chose to refuse the assistance. Food stamps do not need further stigmatization, and I fear that messages like these subtly suggest that receiving these forms of support "don't count." What a fantastic read and incredible writer. Happy to support this guy with my purchase. Keep up the great work, Ken! ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on December 24, 2014 by Mr. Donutbadgerme
    • Spellbinding-a waypoint on hopefully a long journey
Format: Kindle
Dylan asked, "How Does it Feel?" This guy tried to find the answer. I came looking for a story about a guy in the van down by the river (thanks NYT and LAT), but am enjoying getting there the long way. The key, they say, to a good memoir is honesty, and this one pulls few punches. I like how he visited Thoreau's Walden Pond and found that even that author had taken artistic liberties with the concept of living free. I think Ilgunas is an adventurer in the tradition of Thor Heyerdahl or Edmund Hillary. I think a lot of this writing about living debt-free is all well and good, but there is little exploration of debt as a promise, and how Ilgunas constructed a life of not only minimal debt, but minimal promises to others. The rejection of the values of his upbringing is really the core conflict of the book, not so much the rejection of debt or even the whole van thing. Perhaps in coming years Ilgunas will come to the recognition of what really drives him. Isn't it a little childish to want to be completely independent? Isn't that the child's refrain, "I can do it MYSELF!" Every man is an island unto himself, of course, until he needs to see a doctor. Isn't life incalculably richer when you embrace family, establish a community? We see here a ton of rejection of everything from a parent to a girlfriend to an academic community, with very little self awareness to tie it all together. Where is Marcus Aurelius or even James Stockdale? Don't the Stoics, and their philosophy, have something to offer a guy living a monastic, solitary lifestyle? I don't mind much that this book offers more questions than answers. There is enough self-understanding here to justify the adventure. I find more struggle for self awareness here than in the solo "around the world" sailing books, such as those by Slocum, Tania Aebi, Moitessier. I think Wind Sand and Stars by Saint Ex will continue to be a more compelling exercise in solitary travel writing. I am looking forward to a second book by Ilgunas. BTW, Whoever decided to make this Kindle edition $3.99 had the right idea. While I think it's ironic that a book about living a (nearly free) life should cost any money at all, I can spare $4 to take a journey of self-discovery from Alaska to Mississippi, from New York to North Carolina. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2013 by LA Doc

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