Travels with Charlie by John Steinbeck

In this nonfiction novel, John Steinbeck writes about his journey around the USA in the mid 60's.  He had settled into live in New York and had not seen his beloved country for many years, and felt it was time to get reaquainted.

 

Along the way he encounters many good Americans and learns about how life has changed.  He goes into great detail about the advent of the Mobile Home and wonders if it will become a common way of living.  He is bewildered by the transformation of cities he once new well, with superhighways and sprawling suburbs.  He wonders at the sterlization of our lives, with restaurants serving plastic wrapped food no human has ever touched.

 

The America he describes is very similar to today.  Many of the things that concern him seem equally concerning today-- and yet, have not had the kind of impact Steinbeck worries of. 

 

But even through his worries, you can tell Steinbeck loves this land of ours.  He finds good people all along the way.  One of his greatest surprises is finding how unified America had become, with regional differences and allegiences fading significantly since last he travelled around the country.  And this, I think, he found to be a good thing.

 

All in all, though this did not really 'get' me like other works of Steinbeck's, I am very glad I read it.  It is a very detailed look at America of the 1960's-- and really, just of America.