RECENT REVIEWS:

The Number 73304-23-4153-6-96-8 by Thomas Ott »

Omaha Steaks' The Great American Grilling Book by John Harrison and Judith Choate »

For Your Eyes Only: Ian Fleming + James Bond by Ben Macintyre »

Skyscrapers of the Midwest by Joshua W. Cotter »

True Norwegian Black Metal by Peter Beste  »

Watching his father fail to get ahead despite working his tail off, young Pete Jordan realized the American Dream was a sham. So when he grew up, he decided to chase freedom instead of a fat paycheck, a new car every other year and a white picket fence.

And so Pete Jordan became Dishwasher Pete, embarking on a mission to wash dishes in all 50 U.S. states. Dishwasher, a humorous page-turner, is the story of his quest. We learn that dishwashers call themselves dish dogs, sud busters or pearl divers; that the biggest perk of dishwashing is free eats, courtesy of the Bus Tub Buffet; that there's an artistry to washing dishes (as one character puts it, "Dishwashing is like chess, you always gotta think six moves ahead"); and that the list of folks who got their start washing dishes includes Robert De Niro, Larry Flynt, Gerald Ford, Jay Leno, Little Richard, Malcolm X, George Orwell, Charlie Parker and Burt Reynolds.

Eventually, Dishwasher Pete starts publishing a 'zine dedicated to tales of sud busting. It starts out small, but soon Pete finds himself printing thousands of copies of each issue. He's even invited to appear on the Late Show with David Letterman, but he dupes Letterman by sending a buddy to appear as Dishwasher Pete on the program in his stead.

As he hop-scotches across the country -- stopping to pearl dive in places like a remote Alaskan cannery and an oil rig off the coast of Louisiana -- Dishwasher Pete begins to appreciate the role dishwashers have played in labor movements throughout U.S. history. Perhaps because he's had to deal with his share of bad bosses, rats, roaches and minuscule paychecks, he begins posting anonymous notes in public places to memorialize forgotten dishwashers who've stood up to The Man by leading strikes or forming unions in the past.

After a decade of dishwashing, Dishwasher Pete decides he's had enough. His mission is incomplete -- he's notched just 33 states -- but he's fallen in love and begun yearning for a more settled life. He's done with dishing, and this book is the happy result.