Travels with Charley: In Search of America

Nothing particularly exciting happens, but the mundane encounters are lucidly painted and add to the melancholy description of a changing population and country.

TRAVELS WITH CHARLEY is John Steinbeck's nonfiction account of the car trip around America he took in 1960 with his poodle named Charley. Although he did not die for another eight years, Steinbeck thought he was dying and wanted to see the country one last time and think out loud about the state of the world as he saw it.

My parents suggested I read this when I was a kid, I got it for Christmas and devoured it. It was my first "grown up" book and it started my love affair with the written word. This is one of the first novels I read that was a "grown up" book. My dad recommended I read it and it hooked me to books for forever.

Charley was a poodle! What more needs to be said.