Hitchhiking Across America: A Ghostly Unedited True Story of One Man s Pioneered Existence Traversing the Country from Coast to Coast When Doug Van Gorder took a road trip across the United States, he didn t go because he was bored one summer or because he wanted to see the sights he went to save his life. Fighting addiction, post-traumatic stress disorder, and homelessness, Van Gorder considered committing suicide. But with hope and determination, he recaptured life instead. In Hitchhiking Across America, he teaches readers about a skill that s gone mostly by the wayside. More than that, he offers a true story of discovery, about country and self, which allowed him to once again live to love and love to live. Others living with trauma may use this memoir as a road map out of despair, finding their own way back to what once was and finding it better than they remembered."