School & Library Binding, 277 pages
English language
Published Oct. 18, 1999 by Tandem Library.
Travels with Charley: In Search of America is a 1962 travelogue written by American author John Steinbeck. It depicts a 1960 road trip around the United States made by Steinbeck, in the company of his standard poodle Charley. Steinbeck wrote that he was moved by a desire to see his country on a personal level because he made his living writing about it. He wrote of having many questions going into his journey, the main one being "What are Americans like today?" However, he found that he had concerns about much of the "new America" he witnessed. Steinbeck tells of traveling throughout the United States in a specially made camper he named Rocinante, after Don Quixote's horse. His travels start in Long Island, New York, and roughly follow the outer border of the United States, from Maine to the Pacific Northwest, down into his native Salinas Valley in California across …
Travels with Charley: In Search of America is a 1962 travelogue written by American author John Steinbeck. It depicts a 1960 road trip around the United States made by Steinbeck, in the company of his standard poodle Charley. Steinbeck wrote that he was moved by a desire to see his country on a personal level because he made his living writing about it. He wrote of having many questions going into his journey, the main one being "What are Americans like today?" However, he found that he had concerns about much of the "new America" he witnessed. Steinbeck tells of traveling throughout the United States in a specially made camper he named Rocinante, after Don Quixote's horse. His travels start in Long Island, New York, and roughly follow the outer border of the United States, from Maine to the Pacific Northwest, down into his native Salinas Valley in California across to Texas, through the Deep South, and then back to New York. Such a trip encompassed nearly 10,000 miles. According to Thom Steinbeck, the author's oldest son, the reason for the trip was that Steinbeck knew he was dying and wanted to see his country one last time. The younger Steinbeck has said he was surprised that his stepmother allowed his father to make the trip; his heart condition meant he could have died at any time. A new introduction to the 50th anniversary edition of the book cautioned readers that "it would be a mistake to take this travelogue too literally, as Steinbeck was at heart a novelist."
El autor se hace con una especie de autocaravana, agarra al perro y recorren Estados Unidos, viendo paisajes y hablando con gente. Tiene capítulos divertidísimos, conversaciones con lugareños lacónicos, y otros más irregulares, en plan "el mundo cambia a peor, qué asco todo".
I love travel literature. And I love John Steinbeck. And I thought that I would love this book. I really disliked this book. It is possible that I was expecting more reflection and less Point A to Point B travel narrative. One of his last books was an examination of American society called "America and Americans" which is sometimes paired with this work.
Steinbeck decided to travel across the country in a camper van in order to understand the nation he is writing about. The book is strongest when he is trying to come to terms with the changes American society in the 1950s is undergoing - a man seemingly being left behind by his own country.
I know that when someone writes a travel narrative, things do not always turn out as they expect. I feel that perhaps things didn't go according to plan and he didn't get enough …
I love travel literature. And I love John Steinbeck. And I thought that I would love this book. I really disliked this book. It is possible that I was expecting more reflection and less Point A to Point B travel narrative. One of his last books was an examination of American society called "America and Americans" which is sometimes paired with this work.
Steinbeck decided to travel across the country in a camper van in order to understand the nation he is writing about. The book is strongest when he is trying to come to terms with the changes American society in the 1950s is undergoing - a man seemingly being left behind by his own country.
I know that when someone writes a travel narrative, things do not always turn out as they expect. I feel that perhaps things didn't go according to plan and he didn't get enough material to write what he wanted. The book (quite short as it is) feels too long and drawn out, as if he is trying to make his slight observations stretch out so he can fill in the narrative. By the end, it feels rushed and haphazard and the parts do not fit together You can read it as a charming diversion but overall, I think this is a genuinely forgettable travel narrative and not on par with Steinbeck's best works.
I absolutely loved this book. Can't believe I waited so long to read it. What's not to love? John Steinbeck, traveling around the country in a camper with his dog. Meeting people, seeing the country. It's like my life's dream. To just vagabond around and explore the US.
Steinbeck touches on some topics that are still relevant today - racism, acceptance, and how it is ok to think differently as long as you allow others to have their own thoughts, too. It's amazing how much things can change in a country, yet still stay the same. I'm not sure if that would make Steinbeck happy or sad. Maybe a little of both.
If you enjoy travel, dogs, interesting stories about people, places, and things, or just good writing, you will enjoy this classic.
Timeless. A heavy appetizer for wanderlust.
I finished "Travels with Charley" tonight. It ended on a sad note when Steinbeck visited New Orleans during the civil rights movement. I was absolutely appalled at hearing about the Cheerleaders; a group of white trash hags that would convene every morning at William Frantz Elementary School to cruelly heckle an innocent little black girl named Ruby Bridges who was the first to attend an all-white school. She was the subject of a Norman Rockwell painting that I had seen before, but the reality of the scene had never dawned on me. My family didn't raise me with any prejudices toward African Americans, and I always regarded racism as a sport of the ignorant. So I sometimes can't understand the attitude of distrust that's directed at me. I think I need reminders like these that those times when negroes were not considered human are not so distant. Those attitudes are …
I finished "Travels with Charley" tonight. It ended on a sad note when Steinbeck visited New Orleans during the civil rights movement. I was absolutely appalled at hearing about the Cheerleaders; a group of white trash hags that would convene every morning at William Frantz Elementary School to cruelly heckle an innocent little black girl named Ruby Bridges who was the first to attend an all-white school. She was the subject of a Norman Rockwell painting that I had seen before, but the reality of the scene had never dawned on me. My family didn't raise me with any prejudices toward African Americans, and I always regarded racism as a sport of the ignorant. So I sometimes can't understand the attitude of distrust that's directed at me. I think I need reminders like these that those times when negroes were not considered human are not so distant. Those attitudes are truly inhuman, and shamefully still around—though far less popular—today. I'd like to find the graves of those women some day and defile them in the way that they deserve to be remembered.
This book has some great descriptions and a few memorable passages, but it definitely is not my favorite Steinbeck.
