In America: Travels With John Steinbeck

Author: Geert Mak

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General Fields

  • : $35.00 NZD
  • : 9780099578734
  • : Vintage
  • : Vintage
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  • : November 2015
  • : United Kingdom
  • : 35.0
  • : December 2015
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  • : books

Special Fields

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  • : Geert Mak
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  • : Paperback
  • : 1
  • :
  • :
  • : 917.304932
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  • : 560
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Barcode 9780099578734
9780099578734

Description

In 1960 John Steinbeck and his dog Charley set out in their green pickup truck to rediscover the soul of America, visiting small towns and cities from New York to New Orleans. As Steinbeck said to a friend: 'I must see how the country looks and smells and sounds.' The trip became Travels With Charley, one of his best-loved books. Half a century on, Geert Mak sets off from Steinbeck's home with his wife and his sat-nav Sandy. Mile after mile, as he retraces Steinbeck's footsteps through the potato fields of Maine to the endless prairies of the Midwest, sits down to eat with farmers, workers, fishermen and teachers, stumbles across glistening suburbs and boarded-up stores, he searches for the roots of America and what remains of the world Steinbeck describes. Part biography, part cultural history, In America asks how America has changed in the last fifty years; what's happened to Main Street, USA, and the American dream; and what do we, Europe and America, have in common in the twenty-first century?

Promotion info

Following in Steinbeck's footsteps, half a century on from Travels With Charley

Reviews

"[A] smart, deep-rooted state of the nation report from Main Street, USA" The Times "Where Steinbeck generally avoided the hubbub of big cities, Mak balances descriptions of the rural plains and towns that symbolize the country's early origins with fascinating sections on urban growth and decay... An ambitious and enjoyable take on America's story" Times Literary Supplement "Perfect for armchair travellers" Choice Magazine "It is a wonderful surprise" -- J Robert Lennon Guardian

Author description

Geert Mak is a journalist and historian, and the internationally acclaimed author of In Europe, Amsterdam and The Bridge. He is one of the Netherlands' bestselling authors, has twice been awarded Historian of the Year and his books have been translated into more than 20 languages.