Dishwasher: One Man's Quest to Wash Dishes in All Fifty States

(Paperback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

Dishwasher is Public Radio favorite and underground celebrity Pete Jordans amusing memoir of his dishwashing extravaganza. Part adventure, part parody, and part miraculous journey of self-discovery, it is the unforgettable account of Jordan's transformation from itinerant seeker into "Dishwasher Pete"unlikely folk hero, writer, publisher of his own cult zine, and the ultimate professional dish dogand how he gave it all up for love.

For 12 years, I was the most prolific dishlicker of them all. From 1989 to 2001, I dished my way around the country, unwittingly searching for direction. From a bagel joint in New Mexico to a Mexican joint in Brooklyn; from a dinner train in Rhode Island to the Lawrence Welk Resort in Branson, Missouri; from an upper-crust ladies club to a crusty hippie communeI washed the nations dishes. Whether it was a gig so lousy that I walked out within an hour or one where I toiled 120 hours a week, I remained a man on a mission: to bust suds in every state in the union.Pete Jordan

A smart, funny, and surprising look at life, Dishwasher is sure to appeal to fans of Nick Hornby and Tom Perotta.

Reviews

"A humorous page-turner." -- Playboy

"An instant American classic. " -- San Francisco Bay Guardian

"Dishwasher may not raise your opinion of the average dish dog, but it will help you understand why not." -- New York Times Book Review

"[Jordan has]...a knack for storytelling," -- New York Post

"A slacker's idyll." -- New York Times

"A fun graduation gift for your favorite smart aleck." -- Charlotte Observer

"[An] amusing memoir." -- People (3 1/2 out of 4 Stars)

"A (casual) rallying cry for those disinclined toward the nine-to-five." -- Chicago Reader

"This memoir has it all--humor, insight, pathos, adventure, travel and piles of dirty dishes." -- Sacramento Bee

"Highly entertaining." -- The Oregonian (Portland)

"[A] good story, well told...ironic...worth reading." -- San Francisco Chronicle

"Everyone has a story; some people's are just more interesting than others. Such is the case with Pete Jordan." -- Chicagoist

"The writing is lucid and earnest...Jordan's passion for dishwashing and...blowing-in-the-wind traveling is infectious." -- Publishers Weekly

"[An] enjoyable manifesto celebrating rootless irresponsibility, with rueful acknowledgment of the pitfalls therein." -- Kirkus Reviews

"One of the most entertaining memoirs. . . . The book's exploration of the dishwashing subculture is fascinating." -- Booklist (starred review)

PRAISE FOR DISHWASHER PETE: "[Dishwasher Pete's] writing and storytelling skills command attention." -- Boston Globe

"Pete is the Lone Ranger of dishwashers, the troubadour of soap and water." -- Christian Science Monitor

Author Bio

Pete Jordan spent twelve years on his cross-country quest before finding love and abandoning both the dishroom and his country. In 2002 he moved to Amsterdam with this wife and began a new life as a bicycle mechanic and writer. Jordan chronicled his adventures in dishing on pubic radios This American Life and in the zine Dishwasher, which amassed a cult following of nearly 10,000 readers.