"The best fiction, so far, to come out of the American counterculture." Chicago Tribune Book World. "This is one of those special novels-a piece of working magic, warm, funny, and sane-that you just want to ride off into the sunset with." Thomas Pynchon

Starring Sissy Hankshaw, flawless and beautiful (almost). This small-town girl with Big-time dreams and a quirk to match will hitchike her way into your heart, your hopes, and your sleeping

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"When you live at the edge of t he no-go desert, you need to make your own fun. That's when you and your brothers get inventive and build a bike from scratch, using everyday items like an old milk pot (maybe Mum is using it, maybe not). a bent bucket seat, and bashed tin-can handles. The end result is a spectacular bike, perfect for going bumpetty bump over the sand hills, past your fed-up mum, and right through your mud-for walls home." -- Back cover....

A final collection of selected letters and diary entries by the National Aviation Hall of Fame inductee follows her struggles over an unplanned pregnancy, the evolution of "Gift from the Sea," and her views on politics during the Vietnam War.