American Rambler: Walking the Trail of Johnny Appleseed

In this lyrical travelogue, memoirist Fitzgerald (Dirtbag, Massachusetts) recounts a yearlong journey he took from Massachusetts to Indiana that was inspired by his childhood love of Johnny Appleseed. Overwhelmed by financial struggles and worries about his aging parents, 30-something Fitzgerald—who developed the habit of taking aimless walks during the Covid pandemic—decided to clear his head and reconnect with his childhood wanderlust via a pilgrimage along the Johnny Appleseed Trail. Determined to move “at a human pace,” Fitzgerald blends reflections on aging and contemporary ennui with historical tidbits about the ecology and culture of the states he passes through, all with an eye toward figuring out how to “separate legend from story from memory from fact.” Memorable visits to Appleseed’s birthplace of Leominster, Mass., his longtime home near Mansfield, Ohio, and his grave site give way to considerations of how Appleseed became “a legend used to help America look away from the darker aspects of its past.” Elsewhere, discussions with people Fitzgerald meets in his travels prompt reflections about his budding romantic relationship and his mother’s declining health. 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. (May)