Walking Man
Book Club Reading Lists

Book Club Reading Lists: Walking Man

Brian Walker leaves his hometown of Rockford, IL in 1987 and doesn't look back, metaphorically. Although he loved his mother and friends, he quickly found solace in the streets of Chicago.

From the moment he becomes the "infamous car kicker," for kicking at some Yuppie's BMW and getting caught by a camera, Brian's future as zine mogul is confirmed. With his risque actress-girlfriend Tracy by his side, he becomes the voice of the common man, the man without the BMW, the pedestrian of Chicago - the Walking Man.

Until he meets a tragic ending that shocks and saddens the pop culture industry of the 90s.

Book Club Reading Lists: Walking Man Opinion

For the first half of the book, I didn't realize that this story was fiction! I don't know how that pertinent fact slipped by me but I truly thought Brian Walker was a living, breathing man who published the most infamous zine in America.

I was almost disappointed when I found out Brown's novel is a satire.

This book has all the makings of the next cult classic, the notoriety of Clerks coming to mind immediately. Brown has a way of engaging the reader that is funny, modest, and scandalous all at once. Although we never actually meet Brian Walker, the first-hand accounts from the important (and some might argue not so important) people in his life allow us to feel as if we might have gone to high school with the guy. He was the one who sat in the back and you only remembered because he was so unmemorable. But then he turned out to be the one who made a name for himself.

An interesting read, maybe not for a book club, but for anyone who enjoys thinking a little deeper about what drives pop culture and the little people behind the fads and phases of a generation.

Book Club Reading Lists: Walking Man Discussion Questions

1. Do you think Joanne was so bad? Why or why not?
2. Would you have been part of the "alternative" culture or the Yuppie group in Chicago at this time?
3. Were you surprised by the way Brian's life ended?

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