08/08/2016
In 2011, at 23, after his Watson fellowship proposal to study the ways indigenous communities “guided their young people into adulthood” was rejected, and after he lost his job on a fishing boat, Forsthoefel packed his bags, brought books by Whitman and Rilke, and walked down the train tracks near his mother’s Philadelphia home. Then, he kept walking, all the way to the Pacific. In this moving and deeply introspective memoir, Forsthoefel writes about the uncertainties, melodramas, ambiguities, and loneliness of youth while describing his trip, reaching out to strangers as he walks south toward Selma, and then west across Navajo lands, Death Valley, and the Sierras. Along the way, he meets widowers, waitresses, ranchers, veterans, reverends, mystics, glass blowers, delusional walkers, firefighters, Navajo drummers, artists, new fathers, and families who take him into their homes, sharing their rich and varied perspectives—and advice on living. Each conversation offers a glimpse into the vast range of American life. Forsthoefel’s walk becomes a meditation on vulnerability, trust, and the tragedy of suburban and rural alienation. His radical openness to the variety of American experience includes unflinching encounters with lingering racism in Alabama, for instance. Forsthoefel’s conversation with America is fascinating, terrifying, mundane, and at times heartbreaking, but ultimately transformative and wise. Agent: Daniel Greenberg, Levine Greenberg Rostan Literary. (Apr.)
"The ideal antidote for even the strongest bout of national doubt . . . [with] frequent descriptive gems." - Washington Post
"More than a story of the physical trials and tribulations of walking across the country (although there's plenty of that too!), this is a deeply felt account of the trials and tribulations of growing up . . . the 'how do I fit into this world?' kind of exploration. Enjoy a journey across our country through this fascinating young man's eyes as he recounts and ponders the stories and life philosophies from people he meets along the way." - Boston Globe
"A remarkable book that calls to mind William Least-Heat Moon's Blue Highways." - Starred Review, Library Journal
"Soulful . . . [Forsthoefel's] openness provides a window into the extraordinary lessons to be learned from ordinary people. This is a memorable and heartfelt exploration of what it takes to hike 4,000 miles across the country and how one young man learned to walk without fear into his future." - Booklist
"In this moving and deeply introspective memoir, Forsthoefel writes about the uncertainties, melodramas, ambiguities, and loneliness of youth . . . Forsthoefel’s walk becomes a meditation on vulnerability, trust, and the tragedy of suburban and rural alienation . . . [his] conversation with America is fascinating, terrifying, mundane, and at times heartbreaking, but ultimately transformative and wise." - Publishers Weekly
"Forsthoefel offers moments of genuine kinship and transcendence . . . An intriguing portrait of America." - Kirkus Reviews
"[Andrew Forsthoefel] considers weighty issues, such as race, privilege, religion, and family, and offers a fresh spin on familiar themes as he ponders how to approach the world and all its beauty and pain and how to listen to others. VERDICT This title will appeal to thoughtful teens and may serve as a tie-in to history, literature, and philosophy discussions." - School Library Journal
"Whoever you are, wherever you’re from, you need to read this book. You need to read it for its searing honesty, its hopefulness, and its grace. You need to read it because its story is your story, too. Andrew Forsthoefel walked across a continent to listen to strangers and learn from them. There is great wisdom in his footfalls, and you are holding it in your hands." - Sue Halpern, author of A DOG WALKS INTO A NURSING HOME
"In a world of congestion and noise Andrew Forsthoefel has written a book that opens up an ocean of sublime reflective space. As refreshing as it is timeless and endearing, Forsthoefel deftly shifts between his inner being and the people’s lives that flow through him, mile by mile. His enduring determination to understand others is infectious, and like the many walks of life who embrace him into their homes and hearts, we cannot help but be disarmed of any lingering cynicism or distrust. Ultimately Forsthoefel inspires us to be more curious in life and less offended - a virtuous philosophy in what appears to be an age of increasing polarity in American society." - Tim Cope, award winning author of ON THE TRAIL OF GENGHIS KHAN
"If you look at Andrew Forsthoefel's journey on a map, it's a tiny thread, an infinitesimal crack, yet it's enough to break loose America's stories: The open hearts and closed minds, the love and the fear, the beauty and danger, the wisdom." - Jay Allison, Producer of The Moth Radio Hour
"With a name like Forsthoefel, it had better be good. . . And it is, combining the best humanistic aspects of Walt Whitman, Barry Lopez, John Steinbeck, William Least Heat-Moon, and Marco Polo." - Albert Podell, author of AROUND THE WORLD IN 50 YEARS
★ 02/15/2017
Unsure of what to do after graduating from college, Forsthoefel decided to walk across America, from Pennsylvania to the Pacific coast, and listen to the fascinating stories of ordinary people. Forsthoefel includes chunks of many of these tales verbatim. But what is even more fascinating, and unexpected, is the journey he goes through himself. Guided by Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass and Rainer Maria Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet—both of which he quotes from copiously—he discovers what he can endure, what he is capable of, and finds his place in the world. For the author, what started out as an attempt to understand our connections to other people ends in a greater understanding of a connection with himself. VERDICT A remarkable book that calls to mind William Least-Heat Moon's Blue Highways. (Memoir, 1/13/17; ow.ly/D1mr308cbNW)—DS
10/01/2017
At 23, with a bachelor's degree in philosophy, Forsthoefel was uncertain about his future. To find some answers, he decided to walk from his suburban home in Pennsylvania to the California coastline. Taking minimal possessions (including a tent and some Snickers bars) and wearing a sign reading "Walking To Listen," Forsthoefel sought to clarify his own sense of self through the act of walking. By listening to others, he hoped to discover what it means to come of age. Featured throughout this lyrical adventure memoir are transcripts of conversations between the author and those he met on the road. Passages from his favorite writers (Walt Whitman, Rainer Maria Rilke, and Kahlil Gibran) enhance the text. Each state Forsthoefel traversed receives some time in the descriptive spotlight. He considers weighty issues, such as race, privilege, religion, and family, and offers a fresh spin on familiar themes as he ponders how to approach the world and all its beauty and pain and how to listen to others. VERDICT This title will appeal to thoughtful teens and may serve as a tie-in to history, literature, and philosophy discussions.—Tara Kehoe, formerly at the New Jersey State Library Talking Book and Braille Center, Trenton
Newly graduated from college and seeking meaning in his life, Andrew Forsthoefel undertakes a cross-country walk from his home in Pennsylvania all the way to California, relying on his wits, the words of Whitman and Rilke, and the kindness of strangers. Forsthoefel recounts his goals: to listen to other people's stories, to understand what is of value and important to people from all walks of life in America, and to test his own mettle. His voice is that of an earnest young man who had a relatively sheltered upbringing except for his parents' divorce, which left him shaken. Though Forsthoefel is not a professional narrator, he employs good timing and meaningful intonation to enhance his reflections on his life experiences. S.E.G. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
2017-01-23
A college graduate's 11-month walking tour of America.Following graduation from Middlebury College, 23-year-old Forsthoefel hatched a plan to leave his mother's home in suburban Philadelphia and walk until he spent all his money or hit the Pacific Ocean, whichever came first. Guided by his literary heroes Rainer Maria Rilke, Khalil Gibran, and Walt Whitman (whose democratic spirit is a major influence here), Forsthoefel began traveling west with the bare minimum for shelter, a sign reading "Walking to Listen," and the vague idea that his trip would be "like a graduate program in the human experience." For the author, the impetus to walk was indefinable but urgent: "I woke up the next morning anxious to get walking again, toward what, I didn't quite know." Along the way, Forsthoefel confronted the "others" of society, and he remarks on race, class, and privilege. He also explains that while a student at Middlebury, he researched the concept of "coming of age" and how other cultures prepare their young to become adults. It's not hard to see how this concept informs Forsthoefel's trek, which was his own attempt to define his adulthood in the post-collegiate existentialist void experienced by so many millennials. However, the author's sincerity and earnestness are tempered by his urge to "learn something" from his encounters. He refers to the people he met as his "teachers," and he was consciously aware of his use of their experiences for his gain. (This also cost Forsthoefel his job on a fishing boat prior to his cross-country journey, when he revealed to the captain that he'd begun a blog about the experience.) The author recorded his conversations for future logging and transcribing, all a sign of his intention to use his trip for some other end, not merely the empathic experience of meeting citizens. However, Forsthoefel offers moments of genuine kinship and transcendence that buoy the narrative and make the adventure an uplifting, somewhat labored exercise in outreach. Millennial ennui turns into a search for meaning in an intriguing portrait of America.
