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.
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"This was one of my favorite books, Steinbeck was one of the best ever, and this was a simple story about his trip across America with his dog. I would recommend it to anyone. " — Jon (5 out of 5 stars)
"This was one of my favorite books, Steinbeck was one of the best ever, and this was a simple story about his trip across America with his dog. I would recommend it to anyone. "
“Eight hours is a lot of listening time, but it passes all too quickly with this wonderful version of an American treasure.”
“An honest, moving book by one of our great writers.”
“Pure delight, a pungent potpourri of places and people interspersed with bittersweet essays on everything from the emotional difficulties of growing old to the reasons why giant sequoias arouse such awe.”
“The eager, sensuous pages in which he writes about what he found and whom he encountered frame a picture of our human nature in the twentieth century which will not soon be surpassed.”
" Best book i never read.... I heard it on an audio book "
" The best book I have read! "
" Not being a big fan of Steinbeck I was interested to read this book, which I was told was different from the others. I loved it! "
" While reading this book I sometimes had to recheck the date it was written. Some parts of it could have fit 2011!! I liked his insight into what America would be like in the future. "
" One of my least favourite books of all time "
" Interesting look back in time at 1960's - loved the standard poodle references! "
" I generally dislike Steinbeck's novels, but this book was so different than his other works. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed reading it. "
John Steinbeck (1902–1968) remains one of the quintessential writers of American literature. Born in Salinas, California, Steinbeck attended Stanford University before working at a series of mostly blue-collar jobs and embarking on his literary career. Profoundly committed to social progress, he used his writing to raise issues of labor exploitation and the plight of the common man, penning some of the greatest American novels of the twentieth century and winning such prestigious awards as the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. He received the Nobel Prize in 1962, “for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humor and keen social perception.” He wrote more than twenty-five novels during his lifetime.
Gary Sinise, born in Blue Island, Illinois, helped launch the Steppenwolf Theater Company at age eighteen. He started his Hollywood career as a director, but his 1994 appearance in Forrest Gump as Lieutenant Dan launched him to fame and earned him an Academy Award nomination. He worked with Tom Hanks again in Apollo 13 and has since appeared in more than thirty other films and television shows.
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