White House Hobo: Diaries from my time on the Cinder Trail

As a young man, James Aldrich was one of those people who stuck his head out of the figurative foxhole one too many times, even to the point of being deemed too unruly to join the Marines. But even then he was just finding his way toward what would become a philosophy of life based upon the concept of freedom and liberty.




As he matured, Aldrich continued his quest for freedom, running for elected office in California, trying his hand at jade mining on the Pacific Coast, falling in love with numerous women, and finally getting a job in Washington, D. C., on President Jimmy Carter's re-election campaign. All along he was plagued by an itch to break free from the restrains of society and to travel around America. Disillusioned by politics and materialistic mores, Aldrich decided to shed his belongings and ride the rails. White House Hobo is the true story of his years criss-crossing America by boxcar, living a life of liberty and love on the rails, in the oilfields, and even at mercenary school. Along the way he formulated a philosophy and way of life that could benefit us all.