When John Steinbeck was 58, he took some care outfitting a camper and set out on a drive across the United States with his pet poodle, Charley. In this non-fiction work, Steinbeck recalls their three-month journey and what he learned about Americans along the way. This is a beautifully written, joyful book. Take a copy along on your next road trip. Some excerpts: “It occurs to me that, just as the Carthaginians hired mercenaries to do their fighting for them, we Americans bring in mercenaries to do our hard and humble work. I hope we may not be overwhelmed one day by peoples not too proud or too lazy or too soft to bend to the earth and pick up the things we eat.” “I have always lived violently, drunk hugely, eaten too much or not at all, slept around the clock or missed two nights of sleeping, worked too hard and too long in glory, or slobbed for a time in utter laziness. I’ve lifted, pulled, chopped, climbed, made love with joy and taken my hangovers as a consequence, not as a punishment.”