American Nomad X Marks the Spot

American Nomad is the unfinished story of a journey through decades of change in the way people live, think, feel, and dream. Liz Farrow's life began in seventies California, filled with sun and surf, but also its underside: deprivation, dysfunction, undiagnosed neurodivergence, and discrimination. Rebellion and escape came through fashion, music, travel, and scenes - punk, raves, goth, drugs, and spirituality. In San Francisco, she entered a new world of entertainment and empowering technology. She played her own part in its music scene, working for the legendary Bill Graham Presents, and encountering her favourite musicians. Part of the last "Generation Real," known as Generation X, Liz became a literal nomad, combining a media career with exploration in North Africa and the Middle East. She ends on a message of hope: whatever life throws at you, memory gives one the power to revive dreams and reconnect with the person who dreamed them.

Reviews: 

“I had to go to the dictionary two times. Holy smokes, you’re a wild woman and, to me, very brave. But unquestionably, the brave part was having children with nobody by your side. Adventure on camelback is one thing, trips over and return to normal life in a bed… but kids are terrifying, especially on one income and sans stability. That’s the most interesting part though. All your adventures in surfing, music and travel, a great read.”

— US Judge




Fascinating, moving, epic story!!

I don't know where to begin about this book.

American Nomad is a gripping walk through a life that most people would have a hard time believing was real, yet, it is. And one can only feel like there is much more to come, hopefully in a part 2! The author tells of life in her native California, living in San Francisco and Santa Cruz, and provides a wonderful insight into those places and how life was back then, in simpler times. Her stories of being involved in the music scene are absolutely fascinating, not just with behind the scenes stories, but how it was as a woman in what is a male dominated world. Santa Cruz, San Francisco, and the music scene during that time are each conversation pieces that conjure up so much interest, and reading Liz's first hand experience is a very welcome opportunity to see what it was really, truly like. Her nomadic journey then takes us to the Middle East. It's hard to explain this part of her book, as it is hard to get one's head around the most epic of adventures she lived through, fraught with danger, being alone, culture shock and even relationships, in lands with so much rich, complex history (that she dives into to help give weight to how things were at the time she was there). Liz writes so incredibly well, and as you follow this part of her journey, you are transported there with her, almost smelling the scents that surrounded her, tasting the local foods, and feeling the sand beneath you. American Nomad doesn't just touch on travels, but also gets very personal as she talks of her faith, and how important that was to her through it all, relationships, and the deeply moving mentions of the loss of loved ones. American Nomad is brilliantly written, and is the perfect size to not feel overwhelmed for those of us who are not such big readers! She has included photos of important moments in her story and whilst she has shared so much in this book, there remains a sense of mystery about her, which makes this book all the more engrossing. I will await part 2.

— David Morrison, UC Santa Cruz, Music Department, Technical Director




Read this book! Liz Farrow's memoir is a brilliant and captivating read, recounting a wildly eclectic and fascinating life. Her writing style effortlessly transports you to times and places far and wide, a lifelong adventure that makes it next to impossible to put this book down. Touching upon subjects as diverse as popular culture, religion, history, and the struggles of motherhood, "American Nomad" is an inspiring tale of resiliency and adventure. Awesome book! It was a great read! Took me back to the day.

— Nick Baker, Author and Journeyman at IATSE Local 16




Liz Farrow’s memoir American Nomad told me more about the 80s and 90s than I ever knew I had forgotten. It is a fascinating set of wanderings through place, time, style, technology, ambition, culture and spirit by a survivor of Generation Real.

— Richard Heller, Author and Journalist




I find Liz Farrow’s book so interesting, with very nice pictures and the story of people in the 1980s and 1990s is fascinating - good luck. This book deserves to be a bestseller.

— Mandy Dahesh, Holistic Medicine Practitioner & Author



Your interpretation of San Francisco in the 1990s is so accurate. I love reliving it through your eyes!!! Made me super nostalgic. It really could be a much bigger book, you could write a whole chapter on Joe Strummer alone. 

Your school days actually remind me of an unhappy Pink Floyd experience. 

Congratulations on such a huge accomplishment! 

- Christine Ogu, former Bill Grapham Present (BGP) colleague