{"product_id":"american-rambler-walking-the-trail-of-johnny-appleseed","title":"American Rambler: Walking the Trail of Johnny Appleseed","description":"\n\u003ctable align=\"center\" border=\"0\" cellpadding=\"2\" cellspacing=\"0\" width=\"100%\"\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd class=\"productDetailSmallElements\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Quotes\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Fitzgerald has a gift for intelligent, gimlet-eyed straight shooting, for writing with a bared soul but minimal ego (he does have some ego; he's a writer after all). In times often defined by cynicism and trolling, he doesn't seem to have a mean bone in his body. \n\u003ci\u003eAmerican Rambler\u003c\/i\u003e isn't a diagnosis of how America went wrong. It's a suggestion in practice of how to overcome by putting one foot in front of the other.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eThe Boston Globe\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"I'm a huge Johnny Appleseed devotee--so for that (and for many other reasons) I loved this book. It felt like hanging out with a friend. A friend I'd always wished I'd had, but never actually met until these pages. It's not really like any book I've ever read. It meanders and breaks rules--and it works. I'm going for a walk.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--Ethan Hawke\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Rollicking, heartfelt. . . . Made me feel the kind of wonder and hope I've been longing for.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--John Green, author of \u003ci\u003eEverything Is Tuberculosis\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"It takes a wild man to capture this wild land, and Fitzgerald is on the case. This time around, he brings his immeasurable charm and irrepressible humanism to bear on a genuine American legend, with fantastic results.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--Colson Whitehead, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Underground Railroad\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"An immersive walk through our country's forgotten history. Fitzgerald carves out a trail through his own past as he explores the landscapes and lives that shaped a nation.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--Tara Westover, author of \u003ci\u003eEducated\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\" \n\u003ci\u003eAmerican Rambler\u003c\/i\u003e turns its clear-eyed gaze upon the myths that made us and the connections that sustain us. The spirit of Thoreau accompanies Isaac Fitzgerald on this pilgrimage of restlessness and renewal. . . . Adventure, insight, and abandon all tangle in this compelling account of one man's meander along the paths of perseverance and discovery.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--Adam Johnson, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Orphan Master's Son \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"What a profound pleasure it is to ramble along with Isaac Fitzgerald as he journeys deep into American history and his own searching heart. This absorbing, rollicking, and tender memoir made me laugh and cry, the way good books always do. Fitzgerald's candid and clear-eyed portrait of a country, a family, and a life built one step at a time is a beautiful and unforgettable read.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--Cheryl Strayed, author of\u003ci\u003e Wild\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\"Part history, part travelogue, part meditative yawp, \n\u003ci\u003e American Rambler \u003c\/i\u003eis a quest for Johnny Appleseed that becomes a contemporary, warts-and-all portrait of the land he seeded. Isaac Fitzgerald taps into our need to lean on legends--apocryphal or not--in order to understand and justify the way we live now. This book is an absolute joy to read.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--Patrick Ryan, author of \u003ci\u003eBuckeye \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Told with loving tenderness and frank realness, \n\u003ci\u003eAmerican Rambler\u003c\/i\u003e is a brilliant walking tour given by a sage party monk through the life of the man behind an American myth. A breath of fresh air that isn't always all that fresh, but when it isn't, it's a little bit intoxicating. Fitzgerald's voice is rare for its honesty and generosity, for how much you can feel his love in the writing.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--Tommy Orange, author of\u003ci\u003e Wandering Stars \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"What Fitzgerald learns about himself and the state of the nation is more compelling still, with all their triumphs and tragedies. \n\u003ci\u003eBlue Highways\u003c\/i\u003e with hiking boots, and a grand entertainment for travelers real and armchair.\" \n\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e--Kirkus Reviews \u003c\/i\u003e(starred review)\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\"Throughout, Fitzgerald's elegant prose, restless curiosity, and deep compassion leap off the page. The result is a stirring, singular entry in the American road trip genre.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly \u003c\/i\u003e(starred review) \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"[Fitzgerald] candidly exposes the tension between myth and reality, revealing how history is often transformed into myths, complete with heroes. . . . \n\u003ci\u003eAmerican Rambler\u003c\/i\u003e ultimately becomes less about retracing one legendary man's footsteps and more about examining the ground beneath them.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\"Fitzgerald is a most excellent tour guide, mix­ing history with anecdote, Chapman's tangled story with his own somewhat tortured but always fascinating tale.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eBookPage\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBiographical Note\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tISAAC FITZGERALD is the \n\u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \n\u003ci\u003eDirtbag, Massachusetts \u003c\/i\u003e(winner of the New England Book Award). He is also the author of the bestselling children's book \n\u003ci\u003eHow to Be a Pirate\u003c\/i\u003e as well as the co-author of \n\u003ci\u003ePen \u0026amp; Ink: Tattoos and the Stories Behind Them \u003c\/i\u003eand \n\u003ci\u003eKnives \u0026amp; Ink: Chefs and the Stories Behind Their Tattoos\u003c\/i\u003e (winner of an IACP Award). He appears frequently on \n\u003ci\u003eThe Today Show, \u003c\/i\u003eand his writing has appeared in \n\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e, \n\u003ci\u003e The Atlantic, Esquire\u003c\/i\u003e, \n\u003ci\u003eGQ\u003c\/i\u003e, \n\u003ci\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/i\u003e, \n\u003ci\u003eThe Best American Nonrequired Reading\u003c\/i\u003e, and numerous other publications. He lives with his wife and their two dogs on the North Fork of Long Island.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher Marketing\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNEW YORK TIMES \u003c\/i\u003eBESTSELLER \u003ci\u003e- New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author Isaac Fitzgerald sets off into the heart of America, following the path of the legendary Johnny Appleseed on an epic journey that both takes him far from home and brings him closer to it. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Rollicking, heartfelt. . . . Made me feel the kind of wonder and hope I've been longing for.\" --John Green, author of \u003ci\u003eEverything Is Tuberculosis\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAs a child, Isaac Fitzgerald was captivated by Johnny Appleseed, drawn to the legend by family ties, his father's larger-than-life stories, and a shared restlessness to leave home and discover what lay beyond. \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn \n\u003ci\u003eAmerican Rambler, \u003c\/i\u003e he sets out on a year-long journey to follow Appleseed's path, walking (okay, sometimes driving, and at one point, even floating downstream) from Massachusetts to Indiana. On this journey, Fitzgerald turns a childhood fascination into a profound reckoning of loss and grief, ritual and faith, grimy gas station bathrooms and scenic apple picking. He is followed by a mysterious creature, camps in hostile environments, trespasses more than once, and is warmed by the generosity of strangers at every turn. \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eA moving blend of memoir, history, and travelogue, \n\u003ci\u003eAmerican Rambler\u003c\/i\u003e is at once an ode to the American heartland, a meditation on escaping the breakneck pace of modern life, and a clear-eyed look at the myths--often violent, sometimes hopeful, frequently romanticized--at the very core of American identity and history.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations:\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"italic\"\u003eBooklist\u003c\/span\u003e 04\/01\/2026 (EAN 9780593537794, Hardcover)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"italic\"\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/span\u003e 03\/01\/2026 (EAN 9780593537794, Hardcover) - *Starred Review\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"italic\"\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/span\u003e 03\/16\/2026 (EAN 9780593537794, Hardcover) - *Starred Review\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"italic\"\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/span\u003e 04\/24\/2026 pg. 1 (EAN 9780593537794, Hardcover)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n","brand":"Knopf Publishing Group","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51496241266966,"sku":"9780593537794","price":38.4,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0857\/9910\/8886\/files\/9780593537794.jpg?v=1783057969","url":"https:\/\/lusper.myshopify.com\/products\/american-rambler-walking-the-trail-of-johnny-appleseed","provider":"Lusperbooks","version":"1.0","type":"link"}