Peregrinations Walking in American Literature by Amy T.Hamilton

Peregrinations Walking in American Literature by Amy T.Hamilton 

and published by Nevada University Press fascinated me for the intensity of the stories told. Walking means always telling a story. Oldest people in my rural community told me how, in the past, they reached closest cities just...walking, because there weren't other ways; no roads, no cars.

Adventures.

The same ones told in this book. Peregrinations was born for a story of destiny. The author as you will read experienced, although without to know that, a special meeting with two men, Hormell and King who walked per more than 3000 miles with the purpose of proving that walking is a reality and for supporting a noble cause. Impressed by what discovered later, she decided to launch herself in a literary adventure through the beautiful, terrible, absolutely stunning large territory of the USA, taking in consideration the most long walks that, for a reason or another made the history of..walking in the USA.

The author will take in consideration the walks of people taken in captivity  as it happened to Mary White when on Febr 10th 1676 she was taken prisoner with large part of her family. When she will write a journal about this experience she will focus on the this state of "disconnection on the path to reintegration."

Two centuries later the same experience will affect Sarah Wakefield taken prisoners by the Dakota. In her journal not only her experience but also customs, traditions, women's conditions.

Sure, walking in the American Literature and history meant also sufferance. A lot of sufferance if we take in consideration the forced Long Walk march of the Navajo, who had to abandon their lands because the white men had "won" their territory. To them walking was not a pleasure (not that it was incredibly cheerful for the ladies taken prisoners as well, but they saw after all, light after the tunnel) but desperation. It meant a complete defeat, but also the loss of their lands, traditions, religion, customs; a world from an endless time was completely destroyed. They lost their land and losing their land they lost their roots.

Someone wrote: "I shall tell my children about the horror, and they shall tell their children. We can never forget what happened. In the future, if we survive, we must remember every detail..."

There wasn't just sufferance in walking. Mary Austin was an example of temerary woman; she didn't want to live a passive life, and for reaching her new destination she walked in every possible way. It was, again, a big adventure because she discovered in a strong confrontation also the big desert of the West.

What these journals written in particular by European people, American citizens did, were important because they permitted to discover at a largest public the immensity, diversified world  existing in the USA with its own plants, flowers, animals, and characteristics of an endless land where different weathers, trees, ecosystems terribly differents from a part to the other of the USA, exists.

Emerson and Thoureau won't miss to remember the beauty of nature. The second one will live a full-immersion into the forest at long, understanding the powerful connection between physical movement and spirituality. To him a powerful fusion: man and environment. Not only, Thoureu insists in a point: "that walking gives the walkers the comfort and familiarity to move freely."

Another long walk was the one who affected in recent years, we speak of may 2001, 29 Mexicans. They left Veracruz trying to reach the USA, but it was a mortal trip. Some of them survived but most of them ended up dispersed or found dead in the desert. A book was later written by Urrea regarding this big trip, thanks to articles of newsmagazines, pictures, an accurate account of what it means to be not completely prepared for nature and the asperity that a brutal enrivonment can presents to men. These poor men didn't imagine the desert and what would have waited them. Maybe they knew something of it, but maybe they didn't imagine that it would have been so devastating.

Walking means to establish a relationship with the environment close to us; not only; it means spiritual and religious connections as you will read, but also the ability and possibility of entering in contact with the most powerful force existing in the world; nature, and so religion, ecstasy, respect, surprise, joy, sufferance, death, tribulation.

Highly recommended.

I thank Nevada Press and Eurospan for the physical copy of this book.