"Travels With Charley," by John Steinbeck

“Travels With Charley: In Search of America,” by John Steinbeck, (New York: The Viking Press 1962, Penguin Books edition 1980), 210 pages.

Steinbeck’s “Travels With Charley” is his non-fiction account of his 1960 driving journey around the United States. His choice of vehicle was a pick-up truck with an attached camper. His sole companion was his pet poodle, Charley; hence the title "Travels with Charley." The journey began after Labor Day from Steinbeck's home on Long Island in the state of New York. After some excitement negotiating the tempestuous conflagrations from a passing hurricane, Steinbeck commenced his journey into New England. After an exploration of Maine, he turned west and headed for the west coast, breaking his journey at towns small and large including the more notable ones of Chicago (where he was visited by his wife), Minneapolis/St. Paul, and finally Seattle. He journeyed down the coast to San Francisco and visited his old home town of Monterey, and then drove to West Texas, New Orleans, and eventually back to New York.

Steinbeck's journey was neither leisurely, nor exploratory. He appeared to be in a hurry compared to the other more contemporary books of this genre, such as William Least Heat Moon's "Blue Highways" and Bill Bryson's "The Lost Continent" to name only a few. Nonetheless, this short odyssey provided Steinbeck with the opportunity to record his plentitude of observations about the American landscape, the people he met on his journey, and the opportunity to reflect on life in America. It was these conversations and observations that coalesced to enable Steinbeck to give his views on the country of his birth, a country in which he had not resided in for over 25 years, a country that he wanted to rediscover. His interest in rediscovery grew from is realization that he knew so little of contemporary life in America. His memories were from long ago, of an era long past, so to write about America in 1960, he had to go and see it for himself. The things he saw delighted, surprised and disturbed him. Such were the impacts that he seemed at times troubled by what he sees, and is at times dour and dire in his conclusions. He appeared to think that the wholesome certainty of the America of his youth had been replaced by a slick derivative cliché of its former self, a place devoid of higher culture more notable for fast living and ordinary food (except for breakfast).

One could argue for pages about whether Steinbeck was right; some have even argued that this book contains many fabrications or exaggerations. If you set aside these issues, it is hard to deny that "Travels With Charley" is a serious and well written book by one of America's finest writers. It is a glimpse into the mind of a man in the later years of his life reflecting on the changes to his country in his lifetime. He saw a lot of things he didn't like. There are no stupendous outbursts of excitement, or side-splitting accounts or bawdy tales. Humor, excitement and spiritedness seem to have evaporated from his pen. This book is not uplifting, but is a sober, melancholic, reflective and moody reflection on America in 1960. As we read it today, it is a journey into the past, but for Steinbeck, it’s a contemplation on his changed country, a cautionary speculation on the future of a country that he loved and whose future he fears for. It is a fine example of non-fiction writing by one the America's finest writers. For these reasons, it should be compulsory reading for all with more than a passing interest in American life.