Turn Left At The Trojan Horse : A Would-Be Hero's American Odyssey

Bill Bryson meets, an intimate, epic, and offbeat journey in search of the heroic ideal...“Go away. Figure it out,” she was saying. “Don’t come back until you do.” She looked at the calendar. “You have thirty-one days.”With these words, like Helen of Troy launching a thousand ships across the Aegean, Brad Herzog’s wife launched a single Winnebago Aspect onto the open road. A modern-day Odysseus in Kerouac clothing, Brad Herzog plunges into a solo cross-country adventure in search of insight. With middle age bearing down on him and another college reunion fast approaching, he takes stock: How has he measured up to his own youthful aspirations? In contemporary America, what is a life well lived? What is a heroic life?From the foothills of Washington’s Mount Olympus, through the forgotten corners of America, and finally to his alma mater in Ithaca (New York), Brad shares this personal odyssey of a lifetime. Stopping in classically named towns, he delves into the lives of everyday heroes, including a teacher in a one-room rural schoolhouse in Troy (Oregon), a bomb-diffusing soldier in Sparta (Wisconsin), and a woman in the Endless Mountains of Pennsylvania who survived childhood trauma but maintains a hold on more than a dozen distinct personalities.These encounters and Brad’s effortlessly infused musings on Homer, Joseph Campbell, and Lewis and Clark create the perfect balance of past lessons and present epiphanies. Like Odysseus, Brad returns to the arms of his loved ones with many hard-earned answers.is a historical, philosophical and conversational trek across America and through the universal truths of mythography. However, in the end it is simply the story of one man trying to find his way. Frankly, after encountering Paul Theroux’s well-written travelogues of life on the road, I never again expected to find another travel writer who appealed to me more – that was until I started reading Brad Herzog’s Turn Left at the Trojan Horse. Herzog’s third travelogue, which follows on States of Mind and Small World, takes one on a well-illustrated road journey across America all the way from Seattle, Washington to Ithaca, New York. But this is no mere travel guide, as the author’s concerns range widely from death and immortality, to individual and corporate leadership, and friendship and self-awareness, among countless other topics. Sometimes irreverent, always witty, and even occasionally punning, Herzog is not shy of telling the odd joke. Master of a self-deprecatory style, he succeeds in revealing his own shortcomings, of both a physical and intellectual nature (the latter which the skill of his own writing totally refutes). Probing deeply into those whom he meets along the way, Herzog focuses on the inner workings of those whom he meets, so that the work is much more than a travelogue of places that are slightly off the beaten track, but more an exploration and unpicking of what makes America so exceptional – the individuals who, with their pioneering spirit, conquer all adversity to soar above the mundane into the realms of the metaphysical. He penetrates the core of what makes society tick, in terms of the conglomerate of personalities who form the backbone of the nation. Reminiscent in parts of John Steinbeck’s Travels with Charley, Turn Left at the Trojan Horse is filled with down home common sense. Only fleeting reference is made to road and weather conditions, just enough to keep the reader on track of the author’s progress through the changing landscape. Such descriptions enable Herzog to focus in on one of his primary concerns, a desire to explore qualities of the human psyche, relating the qualities found in those whom he encounters with those of mythical heroes and heroines in terms of both their failings and achievements. In an age in which much of mythology, that used to be force-fed into youngsters alongside the classics, is no longer the basic staple of a scholar’s diet, Brad Herzog brings the doings of those on Mount Olympus to the level of everyday humanity whom he encounters in his travels across America. In keeping with those in whose footsteps Herzog treads, such as the pioneering Lewis and Clark, dangers abound, no matter whether it is Brad’s precipice-hugging drive down to Troy in his Winnebago Aspect, or his sitting upfront in a canoe steered by a pot-smoking reprobate. Yet home itself is always just around the corner, whether in Brad’s revelations about his own life and home, or in the heart-warming anecdotes of the often whimsy-driven individuals whom he meets along the way. No stranger to Hicksville, Herzog revels in small-town gossip that reveals so much of small town life. The broad-minded tolerance that he encounters in such places belies any vision that one might otherwise have of the antagonism that is sometimes reflected in the movie moguls’ depiction of such a lifestyle (think only of John Boorman’s epic movie of such a counter-culture in Deliverance, and you get the picture). Citing philosophers, both ancient and modern, Hertzog displays his erudition so succinctly and smoothly that the reader glides along, absorbing a wealth of information with a minimum of effort. The vibrancy of the text scintillates with meaning and veracity – in short, there is no room for pedantic self-importance here, with Herzog at times reminding one of an amiable and affable modern-day Americanized version of the delightfully eccentric Mr. Chips. He is, after all, master of the literary device, including the anti-climax. A book of tragedies and home truths, Turn Left at the Trojan Horse is a poetic rendition of fact. In addition, the work is extremely well edited – there are no trivialities here, with each part adding yet additional substance to the synchronized whole. The fluency of Herzog’s writing is as smooth as well-churned butter and as pithy as the fibrous knots on an aged tree. My only regret about the book is that it contains no index – I would have loved to have seen one referring to all the classical figures, place names and characters that Herzog meets along the way. What would also have been most helpful in this cross-country expedition would have been a map showing the author’s progress cross-state and county, indicating all his stop-off points. Herzog’s stylish and elegant prose carries you along, swept up in the pace, so that you find yourself crying over every tale of pathos and rejoicing over the slightest victory. The sense of boyish enthusiasm with which Herzog embarks on all his adventures is counter-balanced by his possession of a maturity beyond his years. While Herzog’s journalistic background allows him to provide graphic accounts of natural disasters, including the havoc caused by the Grand Forks floods and by the tornado that swept through Siren in 2001, his maverick tendencies enable him to intentionally set out to praise the merit-worthy and to describe the generally overlooked. Whether you finish reading this volume sniggering away to yourself or in pensive reflection depends on you, but that the work is likely to leave you entertained, amused and deeply wondering about the habits and idiosyncrasies of modern-day rural Americans is certain. In brief, Brad Herzog’s Turn Left at the Trojan Horse is a rollicking grand adventure, and one not to be missed!

turn Left At The Trojan Horse Had Me Howling With Laughter And Nodding At The Razor-sharp Observation. —tahir Shah, Author Of the Caliph's House

go Away. Figure It Out, She Was Saying. Don't Come Back Until You Do. She Looked At The Calendar. You Have Thirty-one Days.

with These Words, Like Helen Of Troy Launching A Thousand Ships Across The Aegean, Brad Herzog's Wife Launched A Winnebago Aspect Onto The Open Road.

a Modern-day Odysseus In Kerouac Clothing, Brad Herzog Plunges Into A Solo Cross-country Search For Insight. With Middle Age Bearing Down On Him, He Takes Stock: How Has He Measured Up To His Own Youthful Aspirations? In Contemporary America, What Is A Life Well Lived? What Is A Heroic Life?

from The Foothills Of Washington's Mount Olympus, Through The Forgotten Corners Of America, And Finally To His College Reunion In Ithaca, New York, Brad Shares His Personal Odyssey. Stopping In Classically Named Towns, He Meets Everyday Heroes, Including A Teacher In A One-room Schoolhouse In Troy, Oregon; A Modern-day Hobo In Iliad, Montana; And A Bomb-squad Soldier In Sparta, Wisconsin. These Encounters And Brad's Effortlessly Infused Musings Make For An Exciting, One-of-a-kind Ride.

a Truly Epic Journey.
—a.j. Jacobs, Author Of the Year Of Living Biblically

as We Sit In Herzog's Passenger Seat, We Cannot Help But Stare Out The Window And Even See Our Own Reflection In The Glass.—liz Robbins, Author Of a Race Like No Other

brad Herzog Lives On California's Monterey Peninsula With His Wife And Their Two Sons. He Has Been Described As A Modern-day Steinbeck And A Picasso Of The Winnebago, Andlonely Planet Has Ranked His Travel Memoirs Among Eight Classics Of The Genre, Along With Books Like Travels With Charley And On The Road. As An Award-winning Freelance Writer, He Has Chronicled Some Of The Nation's Most Unusual And Intriguing Subcultures, From Nudists To North Pole Explorers And From Pez Collectors To Pro Mini Golfers.

publishers Weekly

the Author Takes A Circuitous Route East From California By Driving An Rv Across Oregon, Washington, Montana, Minnesota, Wisconsin, And Other Points Between And Beyond. Inspired By Odysseus And A Cast Of Supporting Gods And Goddesses, Vignettes Illuminate Some Form Of Heroic Action, With Herzog Discovering Attributes Of Bravery And Endurance In A Variety Of Everyday Characters. The Author Asks “what Is A Hero?” And Finds Answers In Sources Such As The 1997 North Dakota Flood, And Sparta, Wisconsin, Home To Fort Mccoy, Where He Ponders Military Life, Drawing Parallels With Odysseus And His Wife Penelope, “a De Facto Single Mother, Her Husband Essentially Missing In Action Until She Hears From Him Next.” Points Of Interest That Inspire Herzog Include The Mount Olympus Water And Theme Park At The Wisconsin Dells And An Ohio Eatery Called Pandora’s Lunch Box, Which Allows Him To Tell The Entertaining Tale Of The Original Pandora. And After Meandering Around Pennsylvania’s Eternally Burning Mine Fire In Centralia, He Takes On Labyrinthine History With An Appalachian Labyrinth Owner Who Claims To Possess Multiple Personalities, Just Another Character On Another Pit Stop Along An Intriguing Excursion. (june)

'Turn Left at the Trojan Horse had me howling with laughter and nodding at the razor-sharp observation.'--Tahir Shah, author of The Caliph's House'Go away. Figure it out,'she was saying.'Don't come back until you do.'She looked at the calendar.'You have thirty-one days.'With these words, like Helen of Troy launching a thousand ships across the Aegean, Brad Herzog's wife launched a Winnebago Aspect onto the open road.A modern-day Odysseus in Kerouac clothing, Brad Herzog plunges into a solo cross-country search for insight. With middle age bearing down on him, he takes stock: How has he measured up to his own youthful aspirations? In contemporary America, what is a life well lived? What is a heroic life? From the foothills of Washington's Mount Olympus, through the forgotten corners of America, and finally to his college reunion in Ithaca, New York, Brad shares his personal odyssey. Stopping in classically named towns, he meets everyday heroes, including a teacher in a one-room schoolhouse in Troy, Oregon;a modern-day hobo in Iliad, Montana;and a bomb-squad soldier in Sparta, Wisconsin. These encounters and Brad's effortlessly infused musings make for an exciting, one-of-a-kind ride.'A truly epic journey.'--A.J. Jacobs, author of The Year of Living Biblically'As we sit in Herzog's passenger seat, we cannot help but stare out the window and even see our own reflection in the glass.'--Liz Robbins, author of A Race Like No OtherBrad Herzog lives on California's Monterey Peninsula with his wife and their two sons. He has been described as a'modern-day Steinbeck'and a'Picasso of the Winnebago,'and Lonely Planet has ranked his travel memoirs among eight classics of the genre, along with books like Travels with Charley and On the Road. As an award-winning freelance writer, he has chronicled some of the nation's most unusual and intriguing subcultures, from nudists to North Pole explorers and from Pez collectors to pro mini golfers. 'Turn Left at the Trojan Horse had me howling with laughter and nodding at the razor-sharp observation.' Tahir Shah, author of The Caliph's House. 'Go away. Figure it out,' she was saying. 'Don't come back until you do.' She looked at the calendar. 'You have thirty-one days.' With these words, like Helen of Troy launching a thousand ships across the Aegean, Brad Herzog's wife launched a Winnebago Aspect onto the open road. A modern day Odysseus in Kerouac clothing, Brad Herzog plunges into a solo cross-country search for insight. With middle age bearing down on him, he takes stock: How has he measured up to his own youthful aspirations? In contemporary America, what is a life well lived? What is a heroic life? From the foothills of Washington's Mount Olympus, through the forgotten corners of America, and finally to his college reunion in Ithaca, New York, Brad shares his personal odyssey. Stopping in classically named towns, he meets every day heroes, including a teacher in a one-room schoolhouse in Troy, Oregon; a modern day hobo in Iliad, Montana; and a bomb squad soldier in Sparta, Wisconsin. These encounters and Brad's effortlessly infused musings make for an exciting, one-of-a-kind ride. 'A truly epic journey.'A.J. Jacobs, author of The Year of Living Biblically 'As we sit in Herzog's passenger seat, we cannot help but stare out the window and even see our own reflection in the glass.'Liz Robbins, author of A Race Like No Other EDITORIAL REVIEW: ***Turn Left at the Trojan Horse*** has been described as *On the Road* meets *Eat, Pray, Love* because it goes well beyond a road trip. More than just a funny and profound narrative of Brad Herzog's cross-country trek toward a college reunion in Ithaca (New York) and more than another reimagining of Odysseus's ancient journey (he visits places like Troy, OR... Iliad, MT... Apollo, PA...), it is a memoir exploring the parameters of a heroic existence - by chronicling the lives of people in America's oft-ignored spaces, by examining the universal truths embedded in ancient myths, and by undertaking a fair bit of self-evaluation. It is the memoir of an Everyman searching for the hero within. *(added by author)* High noon Family plots Athena Troy May the dogs be with you Dragon bones Oblivion On time White buffalo Deluge Currents Silent siren Nebagamon Rejoice! We conquer! Sparta's warriors Mementos The allegory of the cave Pandora Omphalos New Castle Apollo and Cassandra Hell and back Labryinth Ithaca.