Published in 2026 by Random House Audio.
I am a fan of books where the author goes on a journey and tells me about what he or she found along the way. I've followed authors on a bicycle journey from England to India, a hike from Mexico to the Darian Gap in Panama, a motorcycle journey around the borders of Chinese Turkestan, a run with a stray dog in the Gobi desert, and a drive along historic Route 66.
I know I won't get to all of these places, but these authors have and I can learn from them.
Synopsis
In American Rambler, Fitzgerald starts with a two day hike in the area where John Chapman was born near Leominster, Massachusetts. It was a rough hike, but Fitzgerald basically finished it, with a little help from his parents. He then decides to truly look into Johnny Appleseed and explore the areas where he lived and traveled throughout his entire life. At first, he considered doing it mostly on foot, but he decided that he simply isn't that dedicated of a hiker.
With the help and advice of his girlfriend, he buys a jeep and starts to explore different areas that are associated his Johnny Appleseed - a site with a tree that he actually planted, an area where he lived for a while, various Johnny Appleseed festivals, a minor league baseball team with a Johnny Appleseed-based mascot, and several stops with friends, and a lot of stories about his parents and his chaotic upbringing.
My Review
I liked the Appleseed-related material, but I quickly grew tired of all of the details about the author's personal life. I had never heard of the author, so when I started listening I assumed that he was a first time author and his editor didn't care enough to talk him into paring down his prose to make the book flow better by cutting out a bunch of the personal stuff.
Turns out that Fitzgerald is actually a minor celebrity - a regular contributor to the Today Show, a regular writer for barious publications, and the author of four books before this one.
He tried to tie in his personal stories to the Appleseed narrative, but I found the connections to be weak at best and found myself wishing he'd get back to the rambling along the trail of Johnny Appleseed that the title promised.
I rate this audiobook 3 stars out of 5. It can be found on Amazon.com here: American Rambler: Walking the Trail of Johnny Appleseed.
With the help and advice of his girlfriend, he buys a jeep and starts to explore different areas that are associated his Johnny Appleseed - a site with a tree that he actually planted, an area where he lived for a while, various Johnny Appleseed festivals, a minor league baseball team with a Johnny Appleseed-based mascot, and several stops with friends, and a lot of stories about his parents and his chaotic upbringing.
My Review
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| Johnny Appleseed's grave in Fort Wayne. It is surrounded by apple trees and visitors pick apples and place them on the grave. Photo by DWD |
Turns out that Fitzgerald is actually a minor celebrity - a regular contributor to the Today Show, a regular writer for barious publications, and the author of four books before this one.
He tried to tie in his personal stories to the Appleseed narrative, but I found the connections to be weak at best and found myself wishing he'd get back to the rambling along the trail of Johnny Appleseed that the title promised.
I rate this audiobook 3 stars out of 5. It can be found on Amazon.com here: American Rambler: Walking the Trail of Johnny Appleseed.
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