Travels with Charley in Search of America

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An intimate journey across America, as told by one of its most beloved writers
 
To hear the speech of the real America, to smell the grass and the trees, to see the colors and the light—these were John Steinbeck’s goals as he set out, at the age of fifty-eight, to rediscover the country he had been writing about for so many years.

With Charley, his French poodle, Steinbeck drives the interstates and the country roads, dines with truckers, encounters bears at Yellowstone and old friends in San Francisco. Along the way he reflects on the American character, racial hostility, the particular form of American loneliness he finds almost everywhere, and  the unexpected kindness of strangers.

Our Top Reviews

Reviewer: Tthomas
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: A Road Trip Across America
Review: John Steinbeck, a Nobel prize winner, decided in 1960 that he could no longer continue writing books about the country, before he went out to see the whole thing for himself. He then decided that he would complete a ten thousand mile long journey across the United States in search of rediscovering America. In order to complete this journey Steinbeck decided to build a camper van to make sure that his journey would remain comfortable and run smoothly. He named his van named Rocinante after an author that he admires. Steinbeck would have to leave the safe comfort of his home and the environment that he is used to. He was able to complete the journey with his trustee poodle Charley. They encountered several obstacles along the way but they together were able to overcome the challenges that were presented before them. In the beginning, Steinbeck didn’t necessarily set out with the intention of publishing his journey across the United States. His original plan was to simply take notes over what he had seen and maybe write about it in the future. In the very beginning of the book, there was a little boy who used to live across the street. He wanted nothing more than to accompany Steinbeck on his journey in rediscovering America. This was a moment that stuck out to me, because I think it is well related to my project. This little boy represents the part of us inside that wants to drop everything and set out across the United States. The boy is not able to come however, because he has other obligations that are necessary in New York. In a way I think this represents most people who would love to pursue their passion, but because of other obligations, are not able to in their lifetime. In this book, Steinbeck hits the road with only his poodle. Because of this he spends much of his time alone. This seems to be good for him in a way. Over the course of the book, the dialogue with his dog Charley changes. Charley becomes almost a best friend to Steinbeck, and the conversations between the two become more complex and full length conversations. Steinbeck often lacks depth in conversations with the strangers that he meets along the journey. This makes one of the overarching themes of the text, loneliness and isolation. Another theme that is found throughout the text is change. The only constant that remains throughout the text is Rocinante and Charley. The reader can experience the journey through the eyes of the eyes of the adventurer. Through this, we see the small and minute changes that there are regionally, to the drastic changes such as the landscape across the nation. One of these changes that Steinbeck addresses is the local dialect. He worries that because of nation wide communication, we are losing our regional uniqueness. This is why Travels With Charley is a perfect glimpse into our nation’s past and the time period of when this book was written. This ties into my “this” project, because I am exploring the ways that Americans from across the nation express their american creed in ways that are unique and different. This book fits in very well to my project, because of the theme of travel and exploring the unseen America. When the book starts with Steinbeck having the urge to pick up and go, this gave me the idea that most Americans have the urge to explore. When Steinbeck was talking about all of the differences in our nation, this also made me realize how similar we are as a whole. I think I can look into this more to see what the American creed is, that is holding everyone together. I would definitely recommend this book to other readers. I would say this book would be perfect for anybody who is curious about and wants to learn more about American travel. Anybody who has a sense of adventure and would like to explore this through the eyes of someone who has personal experience in travel, would love to read this book. Steinbeck keeps this book interesting and gives the reader a sense that they are actually on the adventure with him.

Reviewer: David Bell
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: The Voice
Review: I really enjoyed reading this book. It was recommended by a friend after I mentioned my interest in travel across America. It delivered a beautiful story of people and times gone by. It was sad, funny and thoughtful. Highly recommend this book.

Reviewer: John P. Jones III
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: An impetus to do it again… much better this time.
Review: I first read “Travels…” in 1962. It is #15 on my list of books that I’ve read, which I commenced in that year. I’ve read a number of other books by Steinbeck, including The Grapes of Wrath, which I’ve read twice. Figured a re-read of “Travels…” was long overdue, since my original reading proved to be the impetus to my pale imitation of Steinbeck’s trip, in August 1968. I took my VW bug, and traveled from Pittsburgh, west, through Wisconsin, and all the way to Montana, before turning south to New Mexico, then looping back home in a rush imposed by “Uncle Sam.” That trip was the commencement to some other serious wanderings during my life.Steinbeck’s trip was much more extensive, yet in the end, attenuated also. It spanned 11 weeks, in the fall of 1960. He left his home on Long Island, NY, and traveled east and north, to Aroostook, Co. Maine, before turning west and going all the way to Seattle. Then he turned south and traveled to his childhood hometowns of Salinas and Monterey CA. Steinbeck references Thomas Wolfe’s classic You Can’t Go Home Again several times, noting that after a certain age many of your old friends are dead. He admits that he will be skipping over much of the rest of the country on the way home (you can’t do it all). He provides two memorable vignettes, among rich Texan friends at Thanksgiving, and then later, the fierce opposition to racial integration in the schools of New Orleans. His particular formulation of the urge to get home has remained with me all these years: “Some people take trips, and some trips take people,” and when the latter is operative, it is time to go home.This edition comes with a lengthy introduction by a biographer, Jay Parini. He admits that Steinbeck, the novelist, played a little loose with the strict facts of the trip, including creating a person who did not exist, and obviously reconstructing the dialogue in a particular fashion. Was he alone the entire trip? No. His wife was with him for portions of it, and I felt Steinbeck fairly admitted it in this work (she joined him in at least Chicago and Texas), and that he also fairly explained why he omitted discussing his interactions with her yet provided many details about his interactions with his dog.Steinbeck states that the country that he had known so well in the 1930’s and 40’s was now unknown to him, due to living in New York and abroad for two decades, and that was the prime motivation to his trip. Yet I felt that he skimmed too much on the surface of things… too much time in the camper, with Charlie. He stated that one way to understand the country is to attend church services, and I agree. He relates his attendance at one such service. But there is so much more that could have been done: attend sporting events, public-service functions by community-based organizations, and going to the working-class bars near factories at quitting time, among many others. He notes that his travels encompass the period when there is campaigning during a critical Presidential election, but not a single person talks politics with him. In fact, he never even mentioned who won!… though in an addendum, he relates how he and his wife were invited to the Inaugural Ball. In terms of not knowing the country, I was stunned when he wrote of the “blast furnaces of Detroit.” He also seemed to think that Filipinos are Maoris and seems to imply that Christ and Caesar lived in vastly different periods. I was bemused when he was complaining how “swollen” Seattle had become and predicted the residents would soon move back to the countryside. What would he think of it, or other American cities, more than half a century later?In terms of comments that are exceedingly topical, one that I fully agree with Steinbeck about, was his observation of the harvest in northern Maine: “It occurs to me that, just as the Carthaginians hired mercenaries to do their fighting for them, we Americans bring in mercenaries to do our hard and humble work. I hope we may not be overwhelmed one day by peoples not too proud or too lazy or too soft to bend to the earth and pick up the things we eat.” Yet within seven years of this insightful observation, he would be writing far less insightful articles in full support of the Vietnam War.I do enjoy reading Steinbeck, who proved to be a “compromise candidate” for the Nobel Prize for Literature. Overall, for his travels with Charley, 4-stars.

Reviewer: L. Miller
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Great Thought Provoking Read
Review: Steinbeck has the ability to put you in the cab of the truck with him and Charley. You are there seeing and experiencing the trip with him. He makes you question the strength of your convictions, values, and compassion for others. And, he shows you his love of dogs, animals, and nature.

Reviewer: Nuria
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: A Wonderful book to discover Steinbeck’s work. It’s a quite honest book. His point of view are quite accurate and objective. If you are familiar with The States, you’ll love Steinbeck’s journey. If you’re not, you’ll discover a different approach to the USA. Even if this travelogue was written in the early 60’s, his opinions and appreciations are quite updated with current times.

Reviewer: Amazon Customer
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: I loved reading this. Wonderful metaphors or similes (or whatever they are), great humour, a star in Charley, and a very powerful Part Four. Wouldn’t it be great if Steinbeck were around today to write about Trump’s America?!

Reviewer: vale
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Fantastico. Una cronaca di viaggio da uno scrittore ormai considerato classico americano. Steinbeck, premio nobel e autore di romanzi come Furore, veste i panni dell’anonimo viaggiatore a bordo di un camper alla scoperta della sua America. Si tratta di un’esperienza di lettura attuale, pur datata anni sessanta, e più unica che rara. Un punto di vista eccellente sugli USA di tutti i giorni.

Reviewer: Arupratan
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: A classic travelogue about an unforgettable road trip. A thoughtful reprise of author’s experience of wanderings and imagination in the land of prosperity and cultural diversity. Don’t forget to read Geert Mak’s “In America: Travels with John Steinbeck” after completing this book to get a contemporary idea about the situation of the places where Steinbeck visited back in 1960s.

Reviewer: john plymin
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: The items are as described and in perfect condition

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