Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
challenging
reflective
fast-paced
I was SO mad when I found out he made the vast majority of this up.
Minus two stars for racism and sexism, and no I don't mean the portrayal of these two pernicious prejudices, but Steinbeck being racist and sexist on more than one occasion. It was well-written, and the meditations on American identity combined with the ambivalent opinions he offered was thoughful. I like it better than The Pearl but not more than Of Mice and Men.
I was sad that this book wasn't more interesting and humorous considering the talent of John Steinbeck.
As someone who was born almost 100 years after steinbeck I thought this book was really cool to hear about his thoughts on how America was changing in the 1960s and compare it to how much more it changed to today in the 2020s.it was really interesting to see this man making his predictions and observations and in my head the whole time, im thining "oh boy that was only the beginning." I found his lil section on mobile homes really funny because it's completely different from how we see mobile homes today
The ending got really heavy but I liked it a lot.
The ending got really heavy but I liked it a lot.
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Loved this ofc <3
Wonderfully reflective while not being too too heavy thanks to the moments where Steinbeck's sense of humor comes through. And I loved Charley!!
I really appreciated Steinbeck's honest yet empathetic view of America and it made me feel a little bit more connected to this country (which I tend to feel very BLEH about for obvious reasons). I definitely think I will benefit from a re-read too!
Wonderfully reflective while not being too too heavy thanks to the moments where Steinbeck's sense of humor comes through. And I loved Charley!!
I really appreciated Steinbeck's honest yet empathetic view of America and it made me feel a little bit more connected to this country (which I tend to feel very BLEH about for obvious reasons). I definitely think I will benefit from a re-read too!
Steinbeck’s shopping list would probably be a thrilling read as well.
A tender, thoughtful account of travels through America, identity, and a dog called Charley. I want to underline almost every passage. A proper travel classic. If I had a time machine I'd go back to the 1950s and take this trip with Charley and Steinbeck.
http://unculturedcritic.com
http://unculturedcritic.com
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
I was hoping this would be more journal-style, but it was a little bit more memoir-esque. Although it was an interesting snapshot of the U.S. in the 1960s, with some striking (and disheartening) similarities to the American landscape of today -- especially politically speaking -- I still couldn't help but be distracted by the sense of white-male-entitlement that permeated the text. Now, don't get me wrong -- Steinbeck was incredibly progressive for his time, and he explicitly speaks out against those who are prejudiced against migrant workers, racist, etc., and does his best to portray the minorities he encounters in a sympathetic light. But he doesn't seem to spend much time examining his own privilege, which really comes through in moments like when he complains about how an encounter with a cranky waitress really ruined his whole day, with nary a thought of how her life of being on her feet all day probably getting her butt pinched and sexual comments from customers compares to his opportunity to just pick up and travel the world in his camper with the luxury of his wife staying at home and taking care of their kid.