American Rambler

“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. American Rambler 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.” —The Boston Globe

“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.” —Ethan Hawke

“Rollicking, heartfelt. . . . Made me feel the kind of wonder and hope I’ve been longing for.” —John Green, author of Everything Is Tuberculosis

“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.” —Colson Whitehead, author of The Underground Railroad

“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.” —Tara Westover, author of Educated

“American Rambler 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.” —Adam Johnson, author of The Orphan Master’s Son

“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.” —Cheryl Strayed, author of Wild

“Part history, part travelogue, part meditative yawp, American Rambler is 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.” —Patrick Ryan, author of Buckeye

“Told with loving tenderness and frank realness, American Rambler 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.” —Tommy Orange, author of Wandering Stars

“What Fitzgerald learns about himself and the state of the nation is more compelling still, with all their triumphs and tragedies. Blue Highways with hiking boots, and a grand entertainment for travelers real and armchair.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“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.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“[Fitzgerald] candidly exposes the tension between myth and reality, revealing how history is often transformed into myths, complete with heroes. . . . American Rambler ultimately becomes less about retracing one legendary man’s footsteps and more about examining the ground beneath them.” —Booklist

“Fitzgerald is a most excellent tour guide, mix­ing history with anecdote, Chapman’s tangled story with his own somewhat tortured but always fascinating tale.” —BookPage