In the early 1970's, Peter Jenkins, a young college graduate, set out to find a sense of pride about his country as he took his friend's words to heart and set out to walk across America. This is a very endearing and passionate book about a lost soul trying to find a sense of community in the country that he does not even know if he loves anymore. He is challenged by his friend when he says “If you want to leave, go right ahead, but first you sure as shootin’ ought to give this country a chance”. Peter holds dearly to his friend's challenge and trains with his dog, Cooper, to prepare for the long journey ahead. Because this book is non-fiction and written by the man who lived it, it more clearly represents what his journey was like and what America was like.
A main reoccurring theme in this book is stereotypes. Even though this book was set in the 1970’s, many of the stereotypes in the story are still used today. These stereotypes are not just about other people, but also about him. Peter is even afraid to go into some places because of what he hears about them. This is a great story about overcoming those obstacles and to keep continuing because one never knows what they might find on the other side.
Because the tone of this book is very uplifting, it is great to read when feeling downtrodden by the stresses of everyday life. This book is a reprieve from all those stresses and makes one more focused on the beauty of nature. This is also a great book for animal lovers who understand the bond between an animal and human. The bond between Cooper and Peter is very strong and they would do anything for each other. Peter always acts more like a friend than a dog owner when communicating to Cooper which offers Peter a companion when alone in the woods at night.
Although some people will think this is a great novel, others will not think the same. This book is very slow in the beginning and is only exciting to those who like listening about the stories of many people. The people that Peter meets are interesting, but Peter stays in some places for a long time and may be boring to hear about his daily life at that point. Although Peter also had somebody else to help him write the story, some of the scenes could be described more thoroughly and completely.
From my own personal preference, I thought this novel was great and sparked in me a new sense of pride about my country. Some things may have been more accepted in the 1970’s, but the numerous of people that help Peter along the way make his struggles less about how he will survive and more about how to repay what the person has done for him. It was amazing to see how generous people were considering the fact that they did not have much to give. This story of Peter’s journey picked up a lot when he had to make a tough choice or came down with an illness. I was almost tempted at some points to flip a couple of pages to see how it would turn out to ease my anticipation.
In conclusion, the book A Walk Across America is a fabulous book about a journey of a young man who finds himself and a sense of country through the people that he meets and the places that he goes. I would give this book my recommendation for anybody who likes an adventure and wants to get away from the lulls of everyday life. This book will also give people a clearer understanding of stereotypes and how just looking at someone will not determine who they actually are. This is definitely a five star book and is a great read.