A Great Read

    Few people have not heard of or read John Steinbeck. He is the Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winning American writer of  "The Grapes of Wrath" fame. I read his book "Travels with Charley" this last week and cannot remember when I have enjoyed a book so much.
    The author was 60 years old when he decided to circle the USA with his dog and a camper on a truck, something novel for its day. He took the trip in 1960 so it was very interesting to not only get his take on things American, but with a 1960's setting. I was 12 years old at the time and was well aware of the cold war, JFK, nuclear proliferation, and the race riots in the deep south. As evidenced by his observations, it certainly was a different time, and yet, he was way ahead of his time in his ideas and his take on things.
    He is an excellent writer and I caught myself reading and re-reading many times to savour the delicious way in which he expresses himself. Unique is not a strong enough word. Rare is the gift to be able to so capture a scene in so powerful a way that the reader has to blink his eyes to assure himself that he is not actually there. His sense of humour is wonderful, understated and not always apparent, but clever in the most subtle of ways. I found myself laughing out loud several times.
    Even though the book is really about a moment in time, the literature is timeless in its form and beauty. It gave me visions of going back to school to learn to be a truly great writer. After all, he was my age when he wrote this delightful, yet thought provoking book.