Travels With Charley: In Search Of America – PDF Free Download

Description

John Steinbeck, the acclaimed author of such classics as Of Mice and Men and The Grapes of Wrath, wished to rediscover America, and so, at the age of 58, he set out with his French poodle Charley in a three-quarter ton pickup truck named Rocinante. From his home in Long Island to the outskirts of Alaska, Steinbeck drove the outer borders of the United States and explored its many faces. Along the way he encountered racist desegregation protesters in Louisiana and stayed with old friends in San Francisco. He ate soup from a can and slept in the back of his truck, ate at restaurants and sat with truckers, reflected on rootedness versus mobility, and pondered what it means to be an American.

In this nonfiction work, Steinbeck explores the issues that preoccupied his contemporaries, and he draws on his skills as a novelist to create compelling narratives. He reflects on the meaning of being an American, the nature of this “monster land,” and he considers the ways Americans connect to each other. He also addresses such themes as aging and dying, the concept of journey, the idea of home, and the beauty of the natural world.

Throughout his travels Steinbeck discovers that American life is as diverse as its landscape, and his book is a stunning evocation of this country on the verge of a tumultuous decade. This Penguin Classics edition features a new introduction by Jay Parini.