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A review by springseternal
Travels with Charley in Search of America by John Steinbeck
5.0
as steinbeck says repeatedly himself, this book is not meant to describe all of the US or make any broad claims about americans (other than that an “american” identity exists). rather, this book feels like a good friend telling you about all the interesting people he saw on his road trip. i loved how he humanized everyone he described—especially his beloved canine companion, charley.
the last chapter left the deepest impression on me. toward the end of his journey, steinbeck visits the deep south. for this californian-turned-new yorker, it’s one thing to read about white housewives screaming epithets at black children going to school, and another thing entirely to see it in person. steinbeck has a penchant for picking up hitchhikers, but he kicks one out after the hitchhiker (apparently assuming steinbeck would agree with him by virtue of his race) unashamedly proclaims his anti-black racism and antisemitism. the trip ends shortly after that with steinbeck in a sort of fugue state, maybe from homesickness and maybe from disgust at an america he hadn’t seen before. and there’s nothing more american than that.
the last chapter left the deepest impression on me. toward the end of his journey, steinbeck visits the deep south. for this californian-turned-new yorker, it’s one thing to read about white housewives screaming epithets at black children going to school, and another thing entirely to see it in person. steinbeck has a penchant for picking up hitchhikers, but he kicks one out after the hitchhiker (apparently assuming steinbeck would agree with him by virtue of his race) unashamedly proclaims his anti-black racism and antisemitism. the trip ends shortly after that with steinbeck in a sort of fugue state, maybe from homesickness and maybe from disgust at an america he hadn’t seen before. and there’s nothing more american than that.