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The American Dream

Walking in the Shoes of Carnies, Arms Dealers, Immigrant Dreamers, Pot Farmers, and Christian Believers

Harmon Leon
October 2008     ISBN: 1568583524


Journalist and social chameleon Harmon Leon is known for infiltrating and exposing the weird and wonderful subcultures of America. In The American Dream, Leon once again hits the road to uncover the humorous and contradictory ways in which people from all walks of life define themselves in relation to their country.

Leon's pursuit of the American dream takes him from the pot fields of Northern California to reality T.V. shows in Culver City; from swinging parties in the suburbs to Christian protests against fornicators in Kansas; from a carnival in rural Indiana to a military trade show in Florida; and into Mexico and a tourist attraction that allows people to simulate illegally crossing the border.

Whether he's trying to topple the Hollywood star-making machine or buying a black market Green Card, Leon offers a funny, satirical and ultimately poignant take on what it means to live in twenty-first century America.

For more information, visit Harmon Leon's blog.

What readers are saying

"[Harmon Leon] is funny as hell."
—Howard Stern

"One funny motherf**ker."
—Jimmy Kimmel

"A national, and possibly international, treasure."
—Ted Rall

About the Authors

Harmon Leon is an award-winning author, most recently of National Lampoon Road Trip USA. A resident of San Francisco, his writing has appeared in Esquire, Details, Black Book, Cosmopolitan, Wired and on Salon.

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