A Walk Across America

In 1973, Peter Jenkins embarks on a walking journey from Alfred, New York to New Orleans, Louisiana, accompanied by his dog Cooper. The recent college graduate begins this trek across America after feeling disconnected from his country during the post-Vietnam era. During his months on the road, Jenkins works various jobs to fund his journey and stays with local families in different communities. He travels through the Appalachian Mountains, the American South, and encounters diverse groups of people who challenge his preconceptions about American life. The narrative follows Jenkins as he navigates relationships, personal loss, spiritual questions, and the physical demands of long-distance walking. His interactions with strangers-turned-hosts reveal unexpected dimensions of American hospitality and community life in the 1970s. This memoir explores themes of national identity, personal transformation, and the distinction between America as an institution and America as its people. The journey becomes both a physical trek and an investigation of what it means to be an American during a period of social change.

Readers describe this as an honest account of one man's journey to understand America and himself in the 1970s. The narrative follows Jenkins' transformation from someone skeptical of his country to someone who connects deeply with the people he meets. What readers liked: - Detailed observations of American life and culture - Authentic interactions with diverse people - The personal growth storyline - Cooper the dog as a compelling companion character What readers disliked: - Slow pacing in certain sections - Abrupt ending that leads into sequel - Some found his initial attitudes naive - Religious elements in later chapters felt heavy-handed to some Ratings: Goodreads: 4.2/5 (13,000+ ratings) Amazon: 4.6/5 (900+ reviews) Common reader comment: "Shows the fundamental goodness of people despite their differences" Critical comment: "The first half engages more than the second, which becomes too focused on religious conversion"

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🚶‍♂️ Jenkins' journey, which began in 1973, covered approximately 4,500 miles and took him nearly five years to complete. 🐕 His dog Cooper, who accompanied him for much of the journey, became a beloved figure among readers and even received his own fan mail after the book's publication. 📚 Published in 1979, "A Walk Across America" became a surprise bestseller and remained on The New York Times bestseller list for multiple weeks, eventually selling over a million copies. 🌟 The journey profoundly changed Jenkins from being a self-described "hippie" who disliked America to someone who developed a deep appreciation for the country and its people. 🖋️ The success of this book led Jenkins to write several more travel memoirs, including a sequel "The Walk West," which chronicles the second half of his cross-country journey from Louisiana to Oregon with his wife Barbara.