Bill Geist
Bill Geist was born on May 10th, 1945 and is currently 80 years old. Bill Geist was born in Champaign, IL, United States.
Bill Geist is an American retired bestselling author, TV journalist, and columnist. As a journalist, Geist has travelled the same goofy, at times wistful, American back roads for decades. His memoir perfectly captures what the middle class was like during the midcentury American Midwest.
Lake of the Ozarks is not your typical memoir, but instead it’s a personal memoir. Geist doesn’t overreach or try to define an entire generation from the East Coast to the West. He has cut himself a small slice of the American culture that he has always been a part of and presented it to us to enjoy and remember.
This coming-of-age story takes place in the Ozarks of the 1960s and follows Geist through the summers he spent at his uncle's working at a small resort filled with man-made beaches, rubber tomahawks, Hillbilly Mini Golf, and other unique attractions that made the Lake of the Ozarks one of the best destinations for middle-class Midwestern families.
What at first appeared to be a simple summer job working different jobs as a cesspool attendant to bellhop soon became a formative period full of eccentric characters and small-town adventures that shaped his humor, sensibilities and ultimately his career as a journalist.
Geist doesn’t flatten his colorful characters into tired “Hee Haw” hillbilly stereotypes but instead paints vivid and affectionate portraits of his experiences and neatly balances childhood awe with adult perspective. He recounts his uncle Ed as a small-town force of nature with a liking for big cigars, Cadillacs, and precise hotel management.
Though
Lake of the Ozarks is not your typical fast-paced thriller and doesn’t have jaw-dropping plot twists, it’s one of the best slow but nostalgic meditation stories on a bygone era that offers readers a snapshot of the surreal roadside attractions, unfiltered cigarettes, greasy chicken-fried steaks and carefree summers of Blue Highways.
Related Authors
Fans of Bill Geist also enjoy these authors:
- J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter Series.
- John Sandford, author of the Prey/Lucas Davenport Series.
- Dean Koontz, author of the Odd Thomas Series.
- Lee Child, author of the Jack Reacher Series.
- James Patterson, author of the Alex Cross Series.
Bill Geist: F.A.Q
When was Bill Geist Born? How old is Bill Geist?
Bill Geist was born on May 10th, 1945. Bill Geist is currently 80 years old.
Where was Bill Geist Born?
Bill Geist was born in Champaign, IL, United States and is American.
What was the first book Bill Geist wrote?
The first book written by Bill Geist was Toward a Safe & Sane Halloween & Other Tales of Suburbia, published in 1985.
What was the most recent book Bill Geist wrote?
Their most recently released work was Lake of the Ozarks: My Surreal Summers in a Vanishing America on January 1st, 2019.
What is the most popular book by Bill Geist?
Based on the number of readers on Book Notification, the most popular Bill Geist book is
Lake of the Ozarks: My Surreal Summers in a Vanishing America. Here are their most popular books:
- Lake of the Ozarks: My Surreal Summers in a Vanishing America (10)
Are there upcoming new books by Bill Geist?
Bill Geist does not have any upcoming books with a set publication date within the next few months at this time.
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How many books has Bill Geist written?
Bill Geist has written 12 books excluding contributions to anthologies. All of their books are Non-Fiction Books.