Travels with Charley: In Search of America

Okay.

He wrote a book called Travels with Charlie.

And I think I read it on the trip.

So he's traveling with his dog.

So those were just points that we... we made that we wanted to do and whatever was happening in between happened in between.

It's like Travels with Charlie by John Steinbeck.

Don't let the trip, no, don't take the trip, let the take

you.

It had a shower, and it had a bed and a stove, and I had my dog for company.

And I don't know whether you remember the book Travels with Charlie, John Steinbeck wrote.

I had recently read the book.

It was popular at that moment.

A good exposure written from his perspective.

Next up will be Steinbeck's Travels with Charlie.

Another one in that vein.

And then I'm getting back to fiction.

whatever it takes to get you into the rhythm of it.

And when you're done, pick up the next book and start reading immediately.

The next day, I finish Thrilling Cities and I will open up Travels with Charlie the next day and start reading the next day.

Keep the chain going.

So he just loved Americana.

And quite honestly, I wrote the story for SI, and I wrote about John Steinbeck, Travels with Charley.

That was one of the inspirations for Madden to do this.

He, he loved every minute he spent on the road.

And again, responding to your discussion about connection and, and kind of real connection versus kind of digital connection, maybe faux connection or whatever you wanna call it, you know, given limited time I have left, I don't know how much time I have left, but it's probably less than I had before when I had cancer, right? Those personal connections have become so much more important.

I don't know on the societal side is this just a continuation, right? I know we blame it on the digital system, but I read, I don't know if you've read Travels with Charlie.

I'm putting my medical humanities hat on.

So it's a Steinbeck book.

It's Rocinante because that was the name of the horse that Don Quixote rode.

It's also the name of the camper van that John Steinbeck drove across the United States in Travels with Charley.

So, so it was the perfect name for this motorcycle that's gonna take me on adventures far and wide.

So that has been underway.

And, uh, you know, after three, uh, books about the Revolution, I was tired of writing about war and death, and I just needed a change.

Uh, and so I, uh, one of my favorite nonfiction books is John Steinbeck's Travels with Charley.

And I had, we had just, my wife-

Charley was his dog

He was a good friend of the Benchleys.

And he would write much of East of Eden on Nantucket.

And, uh, uh, in talking to Elaine, I said, you know, "What about, you know, Travels With Charley? You know, it's, this is the meaning of life to me." And she, and I, and she said, "You know, people didn't realize that John was very ill, and I really didn't want him to drive around the country." And he said, "Well, I'm bringing Charley." And she said, "Well, if you bring the dog, you can go."

[laughs]