5There is a rumor of an American Dream. In this dream abundance and freedom are promised to all of those who work hard enough. Michelle and Joseph Anderson were hard workers and they were dreamers. From their beginning there was the dream of spending lots of time together and time with their kids - dreams of fun adventures, of romance, and of full tilt living. Then there were the dreams of having a comfortable home and living in a nice neighbourhood and community, providing a good education to the kids. Eventually came the dream of getting out of debt...and then came the dream of not arguing over money anymore, having at least some time together, maybe...once the kids were out of the house...once they retire...maybe it's all just a dream after all. But what happens when you wake up...stop dreaming and start living? That's exactly what happened to the Andersons. They sold their house and their second car, paid their debts, took their kids out of school and planned a massive, yearlong adventure around the United States in their minivan. An American Odyssey is the story of a family's escape from the overwhelming weight of a deteriorating modern middle class life. Done the only way they know how, the Andersons load up the camping, climbing and home schooling supplies and leave it all. As told by Joseph with excerpts from all members of the family, in these chapters they describe the urgency to not fold to the pressures of bankruptcy and divorce and stubbornly search for what really matters. Its a quest, and they know the answer is out there, somewhere in the expansive landscapes, sorting through their country's history, and engaging in fear inducing high and low angle adventures. On the journey, challenged by a life on a shoestring, they stumble upon subtle explorations of the heart, worn out belief systems and the messiness and essentialness of family life. Now they have all pitched in to share their story with you.