Travels With Max:In Search of Steinbeck's America Fifty Years Later

by Gregory Zeigler, David Swift (Photographer)

Inspired by Travels with Charley, Gregory Zeigler celebrated the 50th anniversary of renowned Nobel Prize-winning author John Steinbeck's storied trip. In 2009, Zeigler and his dog Max drove and camped 15,000 miles over nine weeks, exploring the country and determining what Americans are like today. Travels With Max offers a retrospective on Steinbeck and his work, as well as an insightful, humorous and upbeat perspective on modern America. Steinbeck's Travels with Charley will celebrate it's 60th anniversary in 2020.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction

350 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 29, 2010

Reviews

[Dave Butler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every so often, I read a book that is so intriguing, and so captivating, that I force myself to slow down in order to savour every word and every page. This is one such book.

My friend Greg Zeigler chose to follow in John Steinbeck's footsteps, 50 years after his cross-USA tour that led to "Travels with Charley." In "Travels with Max," Zeigler offers a warm, often-funny yet always-illuminating personal study of the highways and landscapes that Steinbeck saw as he crossed the country. But more importantly, Zeigler offers a very human look at the people he meets along the way, and how they help shape what America is today.

This is a wonderful book, part travelogue and part study in human psychology, that's worth sipping and savouring and appreciating like a fine wine. You'll be sad when it's done, but you'l be glad you took the time to experience it.

[Cindy Veneris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well I enjoyed this retracing of Steinbeck's journey much more than Dogging Steinbeck that's for sure! This was a light-hearted tale of traveling the Charley trail with Max the seven pound maltese pooch, and I liked it very much.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second author I’ve read who retraced John Steinbeck’s final trip across the U.S. The idea sounds like it would be a good read. At least, in this book, the author was a fan of the great writer. I really wanted to like this, but it’s just not interesting to retrace the route. Times have changed and regions have changed. You can’t drive around with the past in your head. It sounds odd, but John Steinbeck’s Travels with Charley is still a great read. These other two books just aren’t.

[Chuck · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have had the good fortune during my many years to have traveled many of the roads that this journey entails. The premise was to follow John Steinbeck's journey as described in "Travels With Charley". I had very mixed emotions about much of the book including many wonderful experiences and some that dampened my enthusiasm. First of all, the first half of the trip seemed to be more of a race than a journey with large portions of the country passed by as if the author had already predetermined what and where he wished to expound on. It showed up in superficial summaries of people met along the way. The people portion got a little less harried from Salinas on as did the pace of exploration. The value of such an experience in my opinion is to savor a location and do your best to bring out the local flavor and personalities. There also was more political expoundment than I expected or wanted. To read a journey that repeats a Steinbeck itinerary is reason enough to read a book and even though I agreed with most of his political and cultural observations, they became tedious and will diminish the book as time goes by. In East of Eden the locals blamed all the changes in the weather on the artillery being fired in Europe during World War I, how quaint. He also highlights every human being that he met on this journey that wore camouflage hunting gear like it would give you a clear view of the personalities involved. I enjoy Paul Theroux's engaging conversations with fellow travelers which were lacking in this account. On the other hand. I enjoyed accounts of Max, Winnie [his home away from home]. Betty [his wayward GPS], and his postcard adventures. I enjoyed his wife and sister and his love for Jackson, Wyoming and for his travel mishaps and antedotes along the way. This would and should have been an adventure of a lifetime if he just didn't have to deal with always having to be at his next planned stop an hour ago. I did share one issue with Mr. Zeigler. I started Steinbeck's "East of Eden" before joining him in this endeavor and will finish it soon.

[Dimmie Zeigler · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book about traveling around America and learning what Americans are like today. Greg retraces John Steinbeck's route from Travels with Charley and meets people along the way. He reflects on Stienbeck's writing and the times he lived in and draws conclusions about our modern society 50 years after Steinbeck's travels. So pull up a comfortable chair and travel along around, rediscovering "this monster land."

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great premise, but felt that too much time was spent on hurrying to the next stop versus enjoying what was there. Also deciding to skip over a whole section of the drive b/c Steinbeck didn't write about it and he didn't feel it was worth the drive himself (Mississippi-Georgia) or that he needed to rush to his next speaking engagement to talk about his drive, too much time was spent on his own ruminations as he was driving and political comparisons between the two time periods.

[KatieSuzanne]

I went to a book reading/signing event for this book at a local bookshop. Greg Zeigler seemed pretty cool and I liked the parts he read from the book as well as the additional stories he told about his trip and I look forward to reading the book though I don't expect it to compare to Travels With Charlie, then again, I don't know if that's what Zeigler intended either when he wrote it.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable! I just wish the photos had been larger.

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really interesting travelogue that retraces Steinbeck's Travels with Charley 50 years ago. Now I feel the urge to read some Steinbeck!