Currently Reading: American Ramble: A Walk of Memory and Renewal by Neil King Jr.

Neil King Jr.’s desire to walk from Washington, D.C., to New York City began on a whim and became an obsession. By the spring of 2021, events had intervened that gave his desire greater urgency. His neighborhood still reeled from the January 6 insurrection. COVID-19 lock-downs and a rancorous election had deepened America’s divides. King himself bore the imprints of a long battle with cancer.

Determined to rediscover what matters in life and to see America's national story with new eyes, King turned north with a small satchel on his back and one mission in mind: to pay close attention to the land he crossed and the people he met. What followed is an extraordinary 26-day journey through historic battlefields and cemeteries; over the Mason-Dixon line; past Quaker and Amish farms; along Valley Forge stream beds; atop a New Jersey trash mound; across New York Harbor; and finally, to his ultimate destination: the Ramble, where a tangle of pathways converges in Central Park. The journey travels deep into America’s past and present, uncovering forgotten pockets and overlooked people. At a time of mounting disunity, the trip reveals the profound power of the country's shared ground.

Copies will be available to borrow at the Circulation Desk.