Travels with Charley in Search of America

 

Travels with Charley in Search of America was published in 1962. It was written by John Steinbeck a renown American author who based many of his stories in the United States.

Why he took this trip.

He felt like he was out of touch with America, the people, and the culture. As a remedy, he set out on a 10,000 mile long, cross-country road trip to rediscover the vast country.

A summary of the book.

He traveled in a self-contained camper that he named Rocinante after Don Quixote’s horse and he took along Charlie, his French poodle, to keep him company.

During his trip he encounters many interesting people of all walks of life. Some of the discussions will cause you to laugh out loud and you’ll find yourself saying, I know someone that thinks and talks just like that.

I really enjoyed his insightful look into the things he saw. For example, he wrote that he could never get used to the thousands of antique shops along the roads, all bulging with authentic and attested trash from an earlier time. The population of the thirteen colonies was less than four million people, and every one of them must have been frantically turning out tables, chairs, China, glass, candle molds, and oddly shaped bits of iron, copper, and brass for future sale to twentieth-century tourists. Just think about it, things we pay to have hauled away today could bring fortunes to our children in 100 years.

His visits to a church in Vermont and a country store in Minnesota were some of my favorite stories and had me rolling.

Charley, as we come to know him, has very human characteristics, like wisdom, perception, and dignity. The things Steinbeck writes about Charlie is worth the read.

Steinbeck didn’t cut all ties with his family and friends for the few months he and Charlie were traveling around. He phoned home three or four times a week and had preplanned times for his wife to fly out and meet him.

For Texans and those who relate as one, part four is a must read. Steinbeck explains the mentality of Texans and as he wrote, once you are in Texas it seems to take forever to get out, and some people never make it.

When he got to the New Orleans, he was considered a New York Jew and was not wanted there. I was born and raised in Louisiana, and I never saw or heard the racist things he talks about. I’m not saying they didn’t happen we just never knew about them.

My thoughts.

This book was in two parts it seemed to me. In the beginning he was fresh and excited, and the writing was funny and witty. It was all about describing scenery and telling interesting stories about the people he met, places he visited, and things he saw. Then the focus shifted, and the mood got darker. It was still witty, but it felt like he was wearing down and ready for the trip to be over. His writing was less about the trip and more on his beliefs and how he felt about what he thought was wrong about America and the issues. This started about when he left Texas and lasted until the end of his journey.

In this book Steinbeck writes about his adventures in a funny, witty, and downright blunt way.

I was surprised at how honest and open he is about his worries and anxiety about this trip and life in general throughout the book.

Steinbeck’s commentary on how you can travel on a highway and see nothing really hit home with me. Sadly, I’ve driven thousands of miles around America and was so busy driving, I don’t remember much about I saw.

Some people knock the book because they say parts of it is fiction. I don’t really care since I never thought it was going to be an actual step by step account of his trip. Steinbeck was a great author, who wrote to entertain.

I also didn’t mind the focus shifting in the book. The first part took me back to some places I have visited and others I would like to visit. The second part took me back to when I lived through those times. I wound up comparing how a 9-year-old thought and felt about those issues, compared to the way I think and feel today. Pretty eye opening.

To me, these knocks don’t take anything away from his discussions, thoughts, and observations on why people do the things they do, and the issues and concerns Americans were dealing with in 1962. Some readers will be surprised that some of the issues and concerns they thought were fairly new issues, were already happening 60+ years ago.

Who I think should read this book.

I believe all readers and aspiring writers will enjoy it and find something to take away from it. Some will find this is a book to be savored and read slowly and others will find it a quick read.  No matter, how or why you read it, I think you will enjoy it.

Favorite quote from the book.

“I do know this—the big and mysterious America is bigger than I thought. And more mysterious.” John Steinbeck