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Travels with Charley: In Search of America by John Steinbeck, published in 1962, as a nonfiction book about the author’s drive across the US with his poodle, Charley. Steinbeck was 58 years old and in poor health when he decided to make this trip and rediscover the country. He passed away 6 years later.

He had a custom camper built onto his GMC pickup and named it ‘Rocinante’ after the horse in the book, Don Quixote by Cervantes. I like the way Steinbeck writes about his health and trip, “I knew that ten or twelve thousand miles driving a truck, alone and unattended, over every kind of road, would be hard work, but to me it represented the antidote for the poison of the professional sick man…I see too many men delay their exits with a sickly, slow reluctance to leave the stage. It’s bad theater as well as bad living.”

Steinbeck’s travel companion was his poodle, Charley, who was born and trained in Bercy,

France. He responded to commands in French immediately. As Steinbeck says, “he knows a

little poodle-English, he responds quickly to commands in French. Otherwise, he has to

translate, and that slows him down.” Charley was not afraid loud noises. During Hurricane

Donna, which struck Sag Harbor, Long Island, just as Steinbeck was about to depart for his trip

on Labor Day in 1960, Charley quietly slept in a warm place under a table. Charley had

crooked front teeth that caused him to make a ‘Ptth’ sound and he used it to get Steinbeck’s

attention. He had a prostrate condition that required urgent veterinarian help during the trip.

Lastly, he turned into an aggressive dog when he caught the trail of a bear in Yellowstone.

Stainbeck referred to him as the “Jekyll Headed Dog.” Charley was a source of comfort to

Steinbeck when he felt particularly sad during the trip.

Earlier this year, by family purchased a standard poodle and named him Charley, because of

this book. He too, is not afraid of thunder or fireworks. This is unusual because other poodles

my parents have owned in the past were terrified of loud noises. Our Charley is a large poodle

like the Charley in the book and he loves to travel and see new places. Unlike the poodle in the

book which is brown, or bleu when he is clean, according to Steinbeck, our poodle is a black

and white parti poodle.

Charley is not Steinbeck’s only travel companion. Supposedly his wife, Elaine, was with him for

most of the trip. They stayed in comfortable hotels with modern conveniences for most of the

trip and only occasionally camped in Rocinante. In fact, I have heard that this book is actually

more fiction than non-fiction. I read on various internet sites that Steinbeck bought the stories

from Mexican laborers in Salinas when he was staying there. Steinbeck was naturally a shy

person and did not openly engage in talking to people. However, as a brilliant novelist, he was

able to spin the stories into a fictional tale.

I enjoyed the parts of the book that marveled at the amazing beauty in nature such as

Steinbeck’s description of the redwoods in California. “The redwoods, once seen, leave a mark

or create a vision that stays with you always.” I like how he calls them “ambassadors from

another time.” This contrasts with other parts of the book where he is horrified by what he

observed. For example, he was saddened by the segregation he witnessed in New Orleans and

the harassment of black girls trying to go to school by the” cheerleader” white mothers.

Additionally, Steinbeck comments on environmentalism, politics, and the uncertainty of the

impending political election.

Apparently, there is some controversy that this book is more of an internal journey than an

actual physical journey. Bill Steigerwald wrote the book “Dogging Steinbeck: Discovering

America and Exposing the Truth About Travels with Charley.” In 2011 Steigerwald used

Steinbeck’s book as a map for his own cross-country road trip. He proved Steinbeck’s supposed

non-fiction book is more of a literary fraud rather than a true story about touring America.

Steigerwald claims Steinbeck was ill, deeply depressed, and under pressure from his publisher

to produce another novel. Even if Steigerwald’s claims about Steinbeck are true, the book is still

a phenomenal read.

I would still give it a 10 out of 10, even if it is a complete fraud. It is excellently written,

humorous, funny, and thought provoking. It brought awareness to important social, civil,

political, and environmental issues in our county in the 1960’s. It is amazing how the actual truck

and other things of Steinbeck are still available to see at the Steinbeck Museum in Salinas. I

cannot wait to visit it. This is a book I will always keep and go back to time and again for good

laughs and to think of my Charley poodle.

Check out Travels With Charley: In Search of America from the Newport Beach Public Library.