The Walk West : A Walk Across America 2

Peter Jenkins becomes more comfortable as a writer. His ability to express himself with more range benefits his descriptions. Though his newly acquired wife may perhaps sidetrack the "walk" , this adventure remains generally untainted.
I enjoyed the first, this one was more absorbing.

bought this for my husband and he loves it! tried looking for this book at walmart but couldnt find it, so we got on the store and found it for a great price! it was new, but i was expecting a little damage through shipping but there was absolutely NO damage what so ever when i got this! and the price is awesome! he was expecting it wud be expensive because he couldnt find it in walmart, but it was cheap.

Just like in the first book, A Walk Across America, the best take-away for this book is Jenkins' vivid description of the people he meet and stays with.

The story however get rather repetitive and the more I read, the more I find Jenkins himself a rather unpleasant character. He pushes himself and, more important, others to the brink of death for the sole purpose of him to reach his personal goal. And his push is pure stupidity. Like:

- Walking across the desert in the summer and during the daytime to almost succumb to thirst - stars and the moon would have provided ample light to walk during night (he did walk on roads) and he could have rested in whatever shade available during day.

- Crossing a high altitude pass and sinking 2 feet deep into snow - in only shorts, and without knowing if he was following a track or not - only to be saved by pure luck. And many more instances like these.

That he found religion in the first book, and have made God an important part of this the second book also makes for rather tiresome reading. I could not resist looking at Peter Jenkis' website. The same story. All about me, me, me, ME! Like he is some God's gift to mankind. No thanks.

I have maybe a dozen pages left in this book, and I'll finish it. But this is the last of Peter Jenkins for me.

The Korlon gloves are excellent quality. I had originally purchased them for our granddaughter, but realized that they would be way to big, so her father got them and they fit him perfectly. The Flammi Ladies/Girl Fingerless Gloves are for our granddaughter, our daughter and our daughter-in-law and me. Quality great and they serve the purpose. I'm enjoying reading A Walk Across America.

Book was in very good condition when I received it just as it was described. However, the book is in large print and I wish it would have listed that in the description. The large print makes it a little difficult to read for myself.

I love true stories and enjoyed this book so much that I ordered the rest of his books at the library.

This is Peter's first book of when he was in his twenties in the 1970's. He was recently divorced and was trying to find himself and determine if all the negative he thought about this country was true. He started the walk with his beloved dog Cooper. With the hospitality of others, he completes his journey part way through and begins the next chapter of his life.

Several times he had me laughing so hard I was doubled over, especially when he described the borrowed clothes he wore to Sunday mass at a black church. Other parts were sad, such as the goodbyes he had to say to wonderful people like Homer the mountain man and his beloved dog Cooper. Although most of his journey was positive and most of the people he met were hospitable, one place this book makes me want to boycott is Robbinsville, North Carolina. Had his walk started there, I think he might have given up.

I always felt as if I were walking with him during the years he was heading south. His writing style is down to earth, somewhat clumsy, and somewhat raw. I could feel the integrity of his travels and emotional journey lift right off the page.

Book was in very good condition when I received it just as it was described. However, the book is in large print and I wish it would have listed that in the description. The large print makes it a little difficult to read for myself.

I love true stories and enjoyed this book so much that I ordered the rest of his books at the library.

This is Peter's first book of when he was in his twenties in the 1970's. He was recently divorced and was trying to find himself and determine if all the negative he thought about this country was true. He started the walk with his beloved dog Cooper. With the hospitality of others, he completes his journey part way through and begins the next chapter of his life.

Several times he had me laughing so hard I was doubled over, especially when he described the borrowed clothes he wore to Sunday mass at a black church. Other parts were sad, such as the goodbyes he had to say to wonderful people like Homer the mountain man and his beloved dog Cooper. Although most of his journey was positive and most of the people he met were hospitable, one place this book makes me want to boycott is Robbinsville, North Carolina. Had his walk started there, I think he might have given up.

I always felt as if I were walking with him during the years he was heading south. His writing style is down to earth, somewhat clumsy, and somewhat raw. I could feel the integrity of his travels and emotional journey lift right off the page.

I can't recall when my budding obsession with taking long walks first took hold, but I'm sure Peter Jenkins' A Walk Across America had something to do with it.

In addition to normal recreational hikes, I used to plan odd outings like 20+ mile hikes around my town, and once, while living away for a while, I took a bus 13 miles to the end of its route just to walk back. My apartment while I was at college was two miles away and I would walk every day. For my first job I lived 10 miles away and I walked the first 4 miles and took the bus for the rest. My sister and I once planned to walk the entire Appalachian Trail, and while my own life got busy as life tends to, she actually went and did it. Yes, she hiked the 2,000+ mile trail and it took her 5 months.

Anyway, this is Peter Jenkins debut account of his many adventures across America and throughout the world. I haven't read his other books with the exception of The Walk West, which completes his literal walk across America. Forget that one though. This one is much better. It's a journey of a man, accompanied by his forever companion Cooper, seeking something more in this life, to expand his horizons and open his eyes. The people he meets and the lessons learned have undeniably defined him.

After biking across the country and visiting a good of the same spaces I find this on a bookshelf not to far away from where I am staying. If anyone's angry about the state a world perhaps a long walk with soothing the sorrow. A beautiful account of what makes as human and a also a great country.
You can also appreciate parts of your world and community you may not have visited yet.
Beautiful story with beautiful people.

I've really been getting into the travel books lately. And this one ranks pretty high with me. The author was excellent and really described his trip with a different tone than I've seen from most travel writers. Sure there were a couple of things that could be changed, but despite these, it really is an excellent book.

After leaving college Peter Jenkins isn't quite sure what he wants to do with his life. He is discontent, most especially with America in general. After voicing this to a friend, the friends surprises him by suggesting that he get out and see America before making judgments. That fall, he takes off from his home to the North and starts heading South, towards the gulf, on the first let of his journey. Accompanying him is his half Malamute Cooper (who despite being a bit wild, is really a good dog). Through their trip they encounter some dangers (storms, sickness, etc.) but the real stand outs are the good things on the trip. Most especially the people. Since this trip takes place in the early seventies Jenkins has an attitude starting out that may be considered offensive today. But he changes his thoughts throughout the journey as he learns more. For instance, despite racial tensions in the South around that time, he finds himself living with a Black family where he forgets color and instead just enjoys being a part of everything. He also expects to hate Alabama and die there, but then finds that it is better than he thought. While he doesn't get clear across America in this book, he does get pretty far.

Peter is a great narrator. He tells everything how it is and isn't afraid to show how he's wrong. As mentioned before he holds different views about parts of the country and its inhabitants and doesn't mind being wrong about them. In fact, he relishes the fact that he was wrong and is appreciative. This is kind of a spiritual quest for him too and he brings up his experiences with different faiths and what he's thinking throughout the book. He also loves his dog Cooper, which makes him a good person in my eyes and in many other people's eyes.

The writing is smooth and descriptive and I was saddened by the fact the end of the novel did come so soon. The first half of the book had a lot of description while he was with Cooper. But then (and this is a spoiler, you have been warned) Cooper dies! I think the book must have fallen from my hands I was so shocked and saddened by this. But it was real life, so it's not like Peter could change that. This makes the second half of the book go quicker and he doesn't spend as much time in description. As previously mentioned, there are some religious aspects to this book, but it isn't overly preachy, its just showing Peter's thought processes and journey with religion. Since this is a book about his trip, it is appropriate.

Another great thing about this book is the amount of pictures. After visiting National Geographic, Peter obtained a camera from them for use on his travels (he also wrote an article for them). There is a whole section of colored photos and another section of black and white photos in the book. However, these pictures do give away spoilers for later in the book so proceed with caution.

I did love this book and despite its flaws I think it is one of the best I've ever read. I'm going to be eagerly searching to see if there is another edition with more of his travels out there and do all I can to get my hands on it. I highly recommend this book to anyone.

A Walk Across America
Copyright 1979
291 pages

Review by M. Reynard 2011

Personally, I think this may have been Jenkin's best stuff, but in ways I think it fell a bit short. In my opinion, he met few individuals who made me marvel at their craziness, eccentricity, wisdom, courage, patriotism, toughness, gentleness, kindness, etc. His account was interesting and he's a fairly good writer, and I read the whole book and that's saying something. He doesn't try to present himself dishonestly and I didn't sense a spirit of self-aggrandizement. I can't believe there haven't been more who did what he did but did it much better. Personally, in some ways I preferred Walk Across America to Blue Highways, though Blue Highways had some interesting moments. I would like to see someone take off across our nation looking for the most extreme individuals of all types he could find and interview them in some depth. As in extremely courageous, extremely devout, extremely stupid, extremely eccentric, extremely psychotic, extremely patriotic, etc. Now that could yield some fascinating copy. Jenkins went off aimlessly and had a few adventurous moments, met a few interesting people, and told a few endearing stories. I'd like to see a cross between Peter Jenkins and Studs Terkel do the trip. That could be interesting.

Read this one severl years ago, when it was first published, and it has stuck with me since that time. As other reviewers have pointed out, yes, the author can be a bit naive at times and no, he is not Heminway. This is the story of a young man on a personal journey. We do not even have to question his motives as they are his own. We do not have to agree with his conclusions, they they too are his own. The nice thing is, this young man took a journey, had an adventure and had the nerve to write about it. This book, and it's follow up "The Walk West," have been out for a number of years now and have been extremely successful. A lot of people have truely enjoyed them (myself included). This sort of work tends to draw out the rock throwers after a few years. Would strongly suggest you read this one yourself. It does not take that long and you will may quite well like what you find. As a added note: I note that several reviews have taken almost a venomous view as to the author's relationship to his traveling companion, a dog. While I agree, a dog is not a person, I do understand how the author could and apparently did become so attached to his pet. I travel with a dog, have for years, as my only companion, and you do tend to attribute qualities to your four legged fuzzy friend that many cannot see. All in all, recommend this one highly.

Twenty-five years from this book's writing, anyone who takes a similar venture as his personal quest for self-discovery is faced with the same problems, questions, and surprises. America is so big and diverse that no one can make generalizations about its people and their values, beliefs, and traditions. I thoroughly enjoyed Peter Jenkins' book. I never had a dog, but it was easy to empathize with his feelings for his faithful companion Cooper. I never attempted to do a similar undertaking, yet it was easy to relate to his personal mission. The commune he ran into in Tennessee sounded like Alex Garland's community of expatriates in "The Beach". His immersion with home cooking from people who lived off the land sounded better than any fancy-schmanzy cooking production that I see in gourmet magazines and cookbooks. He had a very keen sense of place in Mobile, Alabama that I found engrossing, especially the way he described how the urban layout was in tune with the native fauna, like the "grandfather" oak trees. Anybody who embarks on a risky and high-commitment type of venture like Jenkins is bound to win friendships that armchair travelers who are curious about the rest of the country will find moving. My praises also go to his erstwhile dog who helped "prime" him in his unforgettable adventure.

unlike william least-heat moon's "blue highways, " peter jenkins didn't see the country by truck; he walked acrossed america with only a backpack, his dog, and a few dollars..he wanted to see if the country was still worth believing in...
and it was...he met a mountain man and learned the importance of living off the land...he lived with a black family and discovered the power of love and the sense of community that shatter prejudices...he went to alabama, met the governor, who told him to discover the south and then judge it for himself, and finally, he met a woman and fell in love...
the writing is nothing special...but he just wanted to tell you what happened...i was not suprised at the treatment he recieved from southerners,; southern whites have always viewed northern whites as snooty intellectuals with no common sense; northerners see southerners as ignorant, lazy, uneducated, and racist...i thought it was funny how jenkins condemned southerners whites for wanting to "rub black people off the face of the earth," when northern people can be just as racist;only difference is southerners are just open with their hatred.
It took alot of guts for him to take the journey..to be harrassed for being a free spirit...it was good to see that while he lived an alternative lifestyle, he didn't resorting to forcing it on anyone. i'm an agnostic, but his finding god was refreshing and uplifting...
and how fitting that he met the love of his life in new orleans ! i grew up 80 miles west of new orleans in baton rouge,louisiana and visited it alot when i was in high school and college...new orleans has an european old-world charm that anyone can fall in love with...
and i fell in love with this book...

I finished reading Peter Jenkins' book for the first time just a few days ago. As has been stated by other reviewers, this book chronicles the first section of Jenkins' walk across America in the early 1970's to see what the country is about. Along the way he meets interesting people and has a scare or two. His story is told in an easy-to-read style that flows fairly well. It's not a complex tale, but it is very engaging.

If I had one negative comment about the book, I'd say that it is a bit slow out of the gate. While I understand Jenkins has to lay the foundation for the story, and why he is undertaking this journey in the first place, I found this to be a bit dry. Perhaps I just wanted him to get on with the walk. But having finished the book, I certainly understand why Jenkins spent the time laying the foundation - it helps one understand the internal conversion he went through while traveling. Once Peter reaches Smokey Hollow, the book has fully hit its stride. Having spent much of my life either in the mountains of North Carolina or the deep south of southern Georgia, his experiences certainly rang true. I had no qualms about finishing this book; it was just getting past the first chapters.

In reflection, this book really reminded me in many ways of Kenn Kaufman's book "The Kingbird Highway". Both books are true accounts of journeys taken by young men about the same time in U.S. history. While Kaufman's book is more about a journey while birding, he also goes through a sort of transformation during his journeys. I found the books to be similar also in their easy, breezy writing. As someone mentioned in another review, William Least Heat-Moon's book "Blue Highways" is also somewhat similar. That trip took place several years after this long walking journey, and while aspects of the books are quite similar I find big differences as well. One of the biggest being that Heat-Moon had a vehicle to drive and sleep in. It may not seem like much, but I think that integrally affected how both Jenkins and Heat-Moon interacted with the folks they met.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking to understand a bit of what the U.S. was like in the early 1970's. Yes, anything in this book is filtered through Jenkins' experiences and perceptions, but this is an interesting first-hand account of a man's discovery of his country and himself.

Peter Jenkins describes his life in the months leading up to his early 1970's odyssey in a way I can probably best sum up as "lost". Coming of age amid the political maelstrom of the late 1960's, the idealistic Jenkins had felt his faith in America's future slip away, he had a crisis of personal direction, and he was a man who had somewhere in his twenty-odd years fallen away from the hopeful dreams that had once shaped him as who he was. One day while talking with a friend about all the things wrong with the world, the nation, himself, Jenkins was half-seriously told that he should try to seek out the real America and see how much good there was in it. For a man who had become convinced his nation was mired in hopelessness, this challenge to find what was right in the US inspired him to begin a walk--yes a walk on foot-- that began along the Atlantic coast and would eventually end (in his second book) 4,000 miles away in the waters of the Pacific Ocean. Setting off with a backpack, his dog and a lot of courageous ambition, Peter Jenkins, who received backing in his mission from the National Geographic Society, began a meandering trek that took him through the rural countryside of a dozen states and finally, after being adopted by a devout black family in North Carolina, surviving a tornado, the loss of his best friend, walking pneumonia, intimidations by bullying thugs, and attempts to dissuade him from finishing his planned march to the ocean, Jenkins stops for a breather in New Orleans and there meets a woman who becomes the love of his life, and in short order, his bride. This book pauses here but the story of the Jenkins' (yes, his wife begins the walk west with him) hike across the Heartland to the Oregon coast is concluded in this book's sequel. Not only is this an interesting travelogue, and not only is it also the story of America at a particular time in its history, it is the memoir of a man's transformation from cynic back to glorious idealist, and from a spiritual doubter to a spiritually living human being.

This is a simple story of an amazing journey, narrated by a man who writes in a refreshingly open manner. Whether you enjoy walking or not, or whether you have the slightest interest in the geography or social customs of the United States, this book is written for everyone who has a desire to read a beautiful story.
In part one of his journey, Peter Jenkins walks across America in this book, with his faithful, tireless companion, his dog Cooper. The dog is an integral part of this story and almost made me go out and buy one of Cooper's breed. He is the epitome of what a dog should be, and canine lovers will adore all the little vignettes about this amazing fellow. Then Cooper dies on the journey, which caused me a few tears. Part two picks up without Cooper, and there there are setbacks, heartaches and crises along the way, but there are also some old-fashioned heartwarming moments as well. The people in the South are especially helpful to a thirsty, hungry traveler. Jenkins' stories of their hospitality is touching.
Yes, there are a few sections of the book which border almost on the mawkish and the "aw, shucks" John Denver-ish approach of the main character might seem a little dated or folksy. But I challenge the naysayers to attempt (and succeed) at what Jenkins managed to do, it's an amazing book and one which many people will read in a single evening. One note: Jenkins brings along with wife on this journey, so she sort of "picks up the slack" where Cooper leaves off. Excellent book!