"Ffftt!" Charley has to go!

   One of my book groups recently selected John Steinbeck's "Travels with Charley" as the book of the month.  I had always wanted to read it, to see a more personal side of this prolific author.  Now, having read this personal journey across 1960's America, I have not been disappointed.

   Many of you will recall Steinbeck's other books, including "The Red Pony", "Of Mice and Men", "East of Eden", and "The Grapes of Wrath".  All are high quality writing and offer unique insight into the human personality.  In "Travels with Charley" though, we not only get a look at Americans all over the nation during an era of social change, but we also get to see the off-the-books (until this one) relationship between a man and his dog.

   Leaving from his home in the New York area, the author sets off in Rocinante, his trailor-truck combination named after Don Quixote's horse.  How will a fellow who gets lost in his own hometown fare on a trek across the country?  The journey proves interesting.  Since he was trying to "people watch", Steinbeck tried to stay clear of major interstates when he could and explore the local roads and their people.

   One of my favorite parts was when he tried to see Niagra Falls, and ended up missing it because of Charley.  His wry sense of humor shows through as he describes the confused state of governement affairs at the border!  He goes through some nostalgic sadness as he visits his home grounds out in California, where his friends are older or have died, and progress has changed what lives on in his memories.  He is stymied when faithful ole Charley is unimpressed by the giant redwoods, in true doggy fashion.  He muses thoughtfully on the desegregation just beginning in southern schools, before making his way back home to his wife.

   Meanwhile, we get Charley's perspective too.  With a little "Ffftt!" to tell his owner it's time for a pit stop, Charley expresses a gamut of expressions all his own.  Any dog owner can relate to his moments of indignation, disgust, and superiority, as well as the times he just wants a little comforting.

   Even if you're not a big Steinbeck fan, give this one of a kind book a chance.