by Kristen B.

Author Works
Thu    Jul 11  7 – 8 pm   Miller
Register now.

According to Chaucer, April is the proper month for pilgrimage. Neil King agreed, and in 2021 he walked from Capitol Hill in Washington, DC to Central Park in New York, NY. His route traced up Rock Creek Park and Wisconsin Avenue through the suburbs, across Woodstock (MD), over the Mason-Dixon Line into York, PA and Amish country, then to Valley Forge, across the Delaware River, through New Jersey while finally crossing under Interstate 95, and into New York.

In his travelogue and memoir, American Ramble, he refers to these areas as “mini-nations,” and often relates them to the early history of the American colonies. He meets a wide variety of people along the way, who account for many of the anecdotes that drive the story. Some people instantly understand and bless him along his way. Others can’t even be bothered to offer the sojourner the basic necessity of water. Each night, he stays safely at planned spots – usually an AirBnB.

He acknowledges the privilege of making the trip as a White man, with the resources to finance the trip and the connections that further him along the way. He fully recognizes that not everyone would be safe on a similar trek. He also has a lifetime of travel experience and wanderlust behind him, so a month-long journey isn’t particularly daunting. Rather, it’s a fundamental reclamation of his preferred mode of living, after the pandemic and an ordeal with cancer.

King often refers back to Chaucer and other travels, and this month away from ordinary life is truly a pilgrimage for him. Not after only his own medical difficulties; he is also dealing with his brother’s diagnosis. He had been a Wall Street Journal reporter on 9/11, and the trip connects his present and his past – DC and NY. So, after the Covid pandemic and the racial unrest in the wake of George Floyd’s death, the author walked to reconnect with America itself. His goal was to meet all sorts of people where they are and to remember that we’re all part of the fabric that makes America.

At a quick 360-ish pages, the book is a delightful read. King leans into his journalism background to paint sketches of people and places. Some of my favorite anecdotes took place in Pennsylvania: one where he comes across a gaggle of Mennonite school kids playing softball, and another when he’s at the Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia. His reflections upon the connections between pilgrims and penitents are particularly well done. The other moment that has stayed with me was how he solved crossing the I-95 corridor, to continue traveling eastwards, but I don’t want to spoil the episode with more detail.

The author has a personal distinction about how some people (like himself) are from – and at home in – Anywhere, while others (like myself) are home-bodies who occupy Somewhere. Whichever you are, American Ramble has some lovely moments for you to enjoy and ponder.

Neil King, Jr. discusses his trip and his book at an upcoming event at Miller Branch. American Ramble is available in print and e-book.

Thu    Jul 11  7 – 8 pm   Miller
Register now

Kristen B. is a devoted bookworm lucky enough to work as the graphic designer for HCLS. She likes to read, stitch, dance, and watch baseball (but not all at the same time).