Sex, Drugs and Adventure on the 1970s Gringo Trail
A painfully shy woman loses her career, her marriage and her unborn child—then sets out across South America and invents a fearless new life on the road.
At its heart, Joyriding is the compelling narrative of a painfully shy 32-year-old woman who began traveling in 1974 after losing her career, her husband and her unborn child at nearly the same time.
With strength, courage, naiveté and a measure of cluelessness, she created a new and adventurous persona on the road in South America. Among the things Joyriding describes: watching the birth of a deformed baby on a mountain bus at midnight; the amazing potions with which a witch doctor cured her of hepatitis; and becoming shipwrecked in the Amazon and hitching out on tugboats, navy vessels, dugout canoes, cars, trucks and airplanes. It includes several love stories. It ends with a new career and, sadly, with a broken heart.
“A well-written and incredibly fascinating portrayal of the 1970’s and the freedom and insanity of that era. I can’t believe that she did all that crazy shit. She is both brave and naive in equal measure. She could do things people cannot do now, that is for sure.”
“Today I finished reading Joyriding and loved it from beginning to end. It is a fantastic, honest, and perfectly written memoir!”
“OMG I just finished reading. I need a cigarette. And I don’t smoke.”
“The book reads like a novel. It would translate well to the screen, part romance/ part adventure. That shipwreck scene would be great in a movie. I can’t believe that she survived all that she did.”
“Picture the sharpest knife you have ever encountered. Now turn it upside down so you’re looking at the extremely thin edge of the blade. That edge is reality. Most writers spend little time on that edge. Marcel never falls off. She emerges as one of the most solid protagonists I’ve encountered in years. The book is colorful, adventurous, gorgeous and frequently shocking. Her prose is often exquisite. There’s enough adventure and sex in here to make it hard to put down. It’s an effortless, intelligent read. Joyce Marcel will take you through South America, circa 1970, on a wild adventure with honesty, candor and skill.”
Readings, conversations and book events.
No upcoming appearances are currently scheduled.
Joyce will be interviewed by her husband, The Commons news editor Randy Holhut, about the adventures in the book and her creative process. The conversation will be recorded by BCTV. Signed copies will be available.
For 34 years she wrote for Vermont Business Magazine, now called VermontBiz, the state’s only news magazine. Beginning in 2003, she wrote its cover stories. In 2000, 2017 and 2024 she won the national Gold Award in profile writing from the Association of Area Business Publications.
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