The stories of Driving Pursuit are different in many ways because they represent the stories of the uniqueness of America. The author was never born with a silver spoon in his mouth,  nor wear a royal face on his body. Yet, he represents part of the structures of what makes America a great nation. He will never  make it to the Oprah Winfrey Show because he is not a flamboyant celebrity nor an author with a book filled with fictitious characters while feeding some people's hidden emotional desires. He will not make the headline news on television or hit the front cover of major magazines since he is not juicy enough for tabloid journalism of the 21st Century. Yet he is the  personification of what makes America wonderful --- the personal journeys of people in pursuit of happiness.

This is the story of the everyday man who gets up and work hard to make America great. Such workers are usually never recognized for the value of their work. They  are sometimes relegated to an underclass just because of the work they do. Yet we need them like we need our arms and legs during vacations or conventions in any city across the United States. I cannot remember a time whenever I attended conferences in Chicago or other cities without needing a cab to take me downtown to do some shopping. Riding the airport shuttle is supposed to be cheaper than the cab from the airport. The expensive Limousine which is supposed to give visitors a break from the harshness of expensive cab fare from any main airport to the hotels delivers pain to visitors' pockets. While running away from cab drivers, visitors to Chicago who take the Shuttle wonder if they have been taken advantage of by the shuttle service --- that is another story.

Alan Freedman gives people a rare and interesting look into the life of cab drivers and the trials and tribulations they have to endure each day they are on the road to make a living. It is a highly interesting collection of stories from different incidents the author encountered while on the road in the Windy City. He experiences joy and happiness, shock and amazement,  and sometimes sorrow and despair. He tells the stories of how some cab riders play tricks to avoid paying the cab fare and how a person actually jumped out of a high story building to avoid paying a $2 cab fare. This is a book with moments of laughter and moments of sadness as he brings the reader to the reality of what happens in the streets of Chicago. The book also includes his story about the great high-rises and elegant shopping centers of Chicago and those along Lake Shore drive.

The stories are totally different from the time of the Chicago Mob when gangsters ruled the city and threatened innocent people and even some police officers were at their mercy. This is only the history of Chicago's past. There are still gangsters all right in Chicago, but they do not wear suits or wear fancy hats with machine guns like in the Godfather movies.They are those worthless drug runners who care nothing about human lives except to  steal money  and sometimes drugs to sell. In some situations, the drug deal turns bloody and the dealer may be lucky to be alive after the transaction.

Driving Pursuits is a very intriguing book because it exposes the faces of the hardworking Americans who are mostly less appreciated by society. The book also gives a guideline tour of Chicago from a cab driver's perspective. I cannot remember how many times people pass by those who work in the janitorial department without even saying a word or "hello" to them. But, when the bathroom stinks, we run out in disgust! Many hard working Americans as newspaper vendors, cab drivers, restaurant workers, trash collectors, shoe shiners, table cleaners, gas station attendants, traffic directing officers, cashiers at the registers, construction workers, bus boys and many workers like them that keep the country going.  Without these people, the nation stops running. Alan Freedman is one of those people because of the great work he does on the road as a cab driver. Alan may not make it to a national television talk show, yet he epitomizes America's greatness and elegant pride --- the story of an everyday hard working American who will never win a single trophy yet remains "America's Greatest Pride!"

Anytime you are in Chicago, look for Alan Freedman; the cab driver, get a copy of his book ---  he is still on the road after 48 years. Click here for Alan's home page and for book order

book review by OUTCRY Magazine