The premise sounded interesting - walk 330 miles from Washington, D.C. to New York City and rediscover what matters in life and see our national story with new eyes. Author Neil King, Jr. does some of that. It's more a travelogue and less about social justice, though.
This book is also filled with lots of history, which I found interesting. He mentions big events like the Revolutionary War and 9/11 but also smaller events like honoring the everyday builders, farmers and merchants who fashioned and used tools that cultivated our farmland, homesteads, roads, and towns.
I wasn't familiar with Neil King, Jr. before I read this book. His opinions definitely lean left, but he also tries to be objective and kind while speaking with folks who disagree. I appreciate that.
I also appreciate and can relate to the theme of belonging. “'Belong' derives from an old Germanic root with rumblings both of duration and movement. To belong was to go along with someone, to relate to them and accompany them....The feeling that you belong where you are is the ultimate human privilege—the state we all yearn to achieve as we go forward. That sense of being at ease in the place where you stand. That you are respected and trusted and not looked down upon. That you share with the people around you a common sense of relevance, a mutual caring for the other’s well-being, maybe even a similar purpose. Or at the least a basic feeling of welcomeness...Ideally, we learn to expand our sphere of belonging to extend it well beyond our family, our clan, our tribe or political party or village or sports team or national identity. When that happens, belonging becomes a transportable state of mind, something that you take with you as you roam." Maybe we can all take some of that belonging and build a stronger foundation of trust and cooperation in our homes, neighborhoods and country.

Was unable to provide a review based on personal family issues...my apologies to the publishing firm.

Neil King set out on a journey to rediscover the country in 2021. America was still reeling from the pandemic and the shutdown. The election wasn't that far away and it had been divisive. He himself had gone through a cancer diagnosis and treatment. He wanted to see a part of the country to see how it had fared. So he set out on a spring day and walked to New York City from his home in Washington, D. C. He said that it was difficult planning a journey that didn't allow for walkers. He spent many months planning it. It was interesting to travel along with him through the pages of his book to meet the people he met, to see how different parts of the country were treating the virus, and to observe that much of the violence that we see today has been around since the first time the white man came to these shores determined to make it their own. He met people who were a little distrustful -- why would he be walking to New York? He also met plenty of people who were eager to help him on his way. Somewhere along the way he got a following, people would come purposefully to meet him because they had heard of his journey online. I did enjoy this book, although I got a little bogged down about three quarters of the way through, but I kept reading because I wanted to know how his journey turned out. I have friends who are always asking me what have I read lately and I will be telling them about this book.

King's ambitious plan to walk from DC to NYC--two of my favorite places!--is admirable and interesting to read about. He writes engagingly and frankly; the reader doesn't need to guess at his opinions (whether one agrees with him or not, lol).

I found it a bit too philosophical for my taste; granted, that comes with the territory here, and perhaps I'll revisit it down the line. But for now it's just too ... too, heh. Maybe because the pandemic and other hot-button items referenced are still so fresh for me--too soon? I'm not sure. So for now, it's just "too."

I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

After being diagnosed and treated for cancer, the author decides to take a walk from his home in DC to NYC. Not just at a drop of a hat, the course was planned with many stops that reveal our countries history. He meets many people (some who thinks he is nuts for taking on such a mission). But he experiences and learns more in that trip than can be imagined. Makes me want to go on a walkabout. It should be on everyone’s reading list if you like memoirs, American history or traveling.

A journalist seeking healing after treatment for cancer walks from Washington, DC to New York City. Along the way, he discovers the pleasures of actually seeing what's in front of him as he makes this pilgrimage. He meets Amish farmers, visits historical sites, struggles to find someone to give him water, and sleeps in both charming and icky B&Bs.

I enjoyed this book more than any I've read in a long time. The book is thoughtful and interesting, introduced me to history I didn't know, and made for excellent bedtime reading. I was glad the author made it to New York, but I'll miss reading about his wanderings.

Highly recommended.

Many thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

Following a cancer diagnosis, a WSJ reporter walks from NYC to Washington DC. Wonderfully written and a joy to read. As you'd guess, this is not a "typical read", of course. The reporter talks and listens to America during his journey. If you like to hear what America is really like (now), or enjoy travel writing, or love to hear a personal diary, you will love this. I'm glad that I took the 300+ mile journey with Mr. King. Highly recommended.

Thoroughgoing and objective, for the most part, filled with more detail than you ever wanted to know about Nathan Leopold: the murderer, the egoist, the self-promoter. Great going if you can take it. The Conclusion is a little too abrupt and a tad superficial; but then, how does one reach a "conclusion" about a man as witty, brainy, and mad as Nathan Leopold?