Travels with Charley: In Search of America in Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge

Nov 21, 2010 Graceann rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: memoir

In 1960, John Steinbeck packed up more books and clothing than he'd ever need, and the one companion everybody needs, for a trip through 34 American States in a quest to find the "real America." The goal as he saw it when he set out seemed to elude him, but his experiences make for a series of vignettes that are by turns hilarious and heartbreaking.

At his side is his faithful poodle, Charley, who "salutes" every bush and who communicates by saying "Ftt" when he wishes to pay homage. Charley get In 1960, John Steinbeck packed up more books and clothing than he'd ever need, and the one companion everybody needs, for a trip through 34 American States in a quest to find the "real America." The goal as he saw it when he set out seemed to elude him, but his experiences make for a series of vignettes that are by turns hilarious and heartbreaking.

At his side is his faithful poodle, Charley, who "salutes" every bush and who communicates by saying "Ftt" when he wishes to pay homage. Charley gets to hear Steinbeck's thoughts on the political climate, the sameness of the highways, and the beauty of the landscape. Steinbeck's concern for Charley when he falls ill during the journey is tender and true, and if he weren't already a beloved of mine, that sequence alone would have made him one.

The funniest moments tend to include Charley. Steinbeck was very excited to introduce Charley to the giant redwoods of California, and was infuriated when the dog was singularly unimpressed. Then there was the encounter at Yellowstone. Steinbeck no sooner explained to the Ranger that Charley was a "live and let live" kind of dog before Charley tried to take on every bear he saw with a violent rage that frightened Steinbeck so much that he had to turn around and leave. "I tried to warn you," said the Ranger.

My reading of Travels with Charley has serendipitous timing. Just a couple of weeks ago, I listened to an interview with Ruby Bridges. In 1960, she was the six-year-old New Orleans girl who was escorted through throngs of screaming bigots as the one and only black child attending William Frantz Elementary School. Some people may remember the Norman Rockwell painting, "The Times We All Live In" based on her. Steinbeck referred to these people as "stout middle-aged women who, by some curious definition of the word 'mother,' gathered every day to scream invectives at children." It so happened that he was driving through New Orleans in Autumn of 1960, and he wanted to see for himself what these people, dubbed "the Cheerleaders" by the local press, were like in person. The result nauseated him. The chapters devoted to his experience are the best in the book, not only because of his own pain at seeing people behave in such a disgraceful way, but in his own discomfort during conversations with others following the event.

I started the book wishing I had some photographs of his custom-built traveling home, but by the end I determined that Steinbeck's gift with prose gave me all the pictures I could ask for. As a travelogue, as a narrative of what the US was like in 1960, and as personal exploration, Travels with Charley is a gentle triumph. ...more

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Dec 29, 2010 Kris Springer rated it it was amazing

Probably one of my all-time favorite books. I want to read the rest of Steinbeck's books because of this one. So honest & insightful, lovely writing about his life and about Charley. Love love this book. ...more

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May 24, 2013 Dana rated it really liked it

Shelves: santa-monica-book-club

This is a lovely account of John Steinbeck's drive across country with his dog in his later years. He meets people and makes observations and offers great insights on lie along the way. He rambles at times, but it's Steinbeck so the writing is great even if he's rambling. And then there'd be a gem--a line that made me laugh out loud or one I wanted to underline or copy down to keep. It's interesting to look at his predictions about America made in 1960 to see how they've come true. This is a sho ...more

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