Travels with Charley by John steinbeck

Like John Steinbeck and Charley, I am happily exhausted. The two really did go across country in a pickup truck covered with a cab. The journey started off up in Maine and ended at home, New York. I enjoyed Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck because of the author's ability to nab the seemingly most significant thoughts to share about a place. 

In Maine, he talked about the Canucks. This is a group of ethnically related people like, I guess, the Cajuns. Then, way down in Texas, John Steinbeck shared how the really rich people dress down. The worn boots, worn blue jeans meant that guy had real cash, the big bucks. I thought that was interesting. However, Mr. Steinbeck had no great love for Texas. He wrote some people get lost there and never find there way out again. It seems Texas just sprawls all over the place like an unwound ball of thread.

Down in Alabama and Louisiana, he wrote about race issues. I could tell he was trying to handle this part of the book very delicately. The author picked one guy up, and they got on the race issue. By the time, the truck traveled a little ways this guy was screaming at the top of his lungs, the n word with lover tacked on. Way after the truck was out of sight, he was still screaming those two words about this guy who must have come from up North. It seems if you came from up North you weren't on the South's side. You wouldn't help scream and shake fists at the Negro children going in a new school with the Caucasian children. Let it be known I don't think in any way that John Steinbeck was a racist. No way.

I don't think John Steinbeck was clear on his personal feelings about race issues like white and negro children going to school together, etc. I didn't feel he had a great depth of knowledge on the subject. Perhaps, the trip made him see that the race issue is as three dimensional as a doctor's prop of the human heart. Sadly, our racism is like Grandma's apple pie.

The good part is when wife met him in one or two states. She helped him get over the edginess of the journey. John Steinbeck helped Charley with his nerves during the trip. Twice Charley had to stop for vet work. Once he was diagnosed with Prostatitis. For four days they rested, and he recovered. Although an old dog, Charley was very strong. When his wife comes, he doesn't go into detail about whether they played Scrabble, ate dinner our or walked in the park. He just says she's coming. Then, after she's gone, he picks up with his travels. I suppose that was a personal and precious time for him

Since John Steinbeck wrote novels, it's easy to translate the written words into pictures because his writing is so colorful. I'm glad to have read Travels with Charley. Hate that it took me so many years to realize it's a treasure. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travels_with_Charley

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