I wrapped up recording the audio version of Happy Semiquincentennial, America! yesterday. Of course, I’m hoping the audiobook publisher sells a ton of downloads — but I’m keeping my optimism on a short leash.
After all, the real fun and reward of Happy Semiquincentennial, America! is picking the book up off a coffee table, flipping through, and suddenly finding yourself reading about the Hollywood sign, albino squirrels, old sitcoms, Weedwhackers, Play-Doh, Coachella, the Freedom Trail, Simone Biles, Johnny Appleseed, Gila monsters, inflating needles, Woodstock, USO shows, ragtime, ranch dressing, Chicago-style hot dogs, S’mores, the Liberty Bell, and/or JELL-O with weird stuff in it.
Don’t get me wrong — it was a delightfully fun project. I laughed out loud dozens of times, and so did the recording engineer. Reading every single word in my own winsome way confirmed what I’d hoped all along: the book works. In print and in audio.
So if you’re an audiobook person, it should be ready for downloading in the next few weeks. (I’ll keep you posted here in this weekly blog.)
But also worth mentioning, the print edition features nearly 100 photos — among them a soldier in a World War I trench, the Illini quad, a corn maze, a tunnel through a giant sequoia, Bishop Castle, Lou Gehrig delivering his “Luckiest Man” speech, the 1913 Ford assembly line, and Rita and me posing on Segways in front of the Alamo.
You’ll also be quietly moved by the sight of the submerged USS Arizona still visible in the waters beneath the Pearl Harbor National Memorial.
And yes — that book will look “real purty” on your coffee table.
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