Epically readable, Herzog’s American Odyssey

When you think ‘road trip’, you may not have in mind Brad Herzog’s interpretation. In Herzog’s original take on his trip across America, Turn Left at the Trojan Horse: A Would-be Hero’s American Odyssey, he recreates his cross country journey in a Winnebago RV to Ithaca, New York, for his college reunion. His solo trip was launched into an epic adventure by first asking the question “What is a hero?” Inspired by Homer’s great character, Odysseus as well as Greek gods and goddesses, Herzog makes his way to classically named towns called Sparta, Pandora, and Iliad looking for examples of local heroes. In small  hamlets and towns spread across our great country, he meets a bomb squad soldier, a teacher in a one room schoolroom, and police officers and private citizens who helped save the small town of Siren, Wisconsin from a deadly tornado.

The author uncovers examples of heroes in many of the small towns he visits, places that are the backbone of America. He seamlessly intersperses his own adventures and anecdotes from his life with stories from ancient mythology so that anyone familiar with these great adventures will be in for a treat. Those who are not, will be educated and entertained in the most humorous and original way.

Herzog’s writing talent and poetic prose raise his literary narrative above the normal travel memoir. This explains why Lonely Planet has ranked his travel books among eight great classics of the genre  along side Kerouac’s On the Road and Steinbeck’s Travels with Charley: In Search of America. To follow Mr. Herzog in his other adventures, visit his blog located on his website at www.bradherzog.com. Happy traveling!

2 comments on “Epically readable, Herzog’s American Odyssey

  1. My first reaction was “Oh, no, another one of those flimsy excuses to put together random road stories. But your description of his journey makes me want to take a look. Sounds like a really good read–even if the premise is a little thin.

  2. Thanks, Vera. Herzog seems to be an intellectual who truly appreciates the quest for knowledge. His use of the hero and the myth in his books highlight his thorough understanding of the ancient Greek writers as well as more contemporary writers interested in myth such as Joseph Campbell.
    I found this book to be a refreshing change from many of the newer angst driven travel memoirs.

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