Customer Reviews

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

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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! (Reviewer for Bookpleasures.com)

I read an excerpt of Brad's book after learning about it on an RV travel site. After two pages I turned on my trusty Nook and bought it. What a pleasure to read and at the same time causing me to expand my resource library. Within 50 pages I needed Homer's books to reference and with Brad's knowledge of words I needed my well worn dictionary. Don't get me wrong, this is avarice to my mind and learning. I have become a full time RV traveler and revel in the little stops along the highways of America, what a rich country we are gifted to live in.

Ultimately, I contacted Brad and thanked him for such a wonderful book. I have recommended it to all my friends and mentioned it on my personal web page on travel.

Now I have to buy Brad's other books and expand my horizons. Thanks Brad, one great ride next to a great wordsmith!

So, what's next? How about a southern trip?

John Coleman

For years, I have read the alumni magazine of Cornell, and every couple issues I would find a fantastic article, usually about some quixotic soul with a unique talent, history, or perspective. After a while, I realized they were always written by Brad Herzog, and I've been a fan of his writing ever since. I loved "States of Mind" and my affection for his writing only grew with "Turn Left at the Trojan Horse."

His eye for detail, his capacity for words, his ability to relate modern and classical contexts, and his refreshing self-examination combined for a unique, and meaningful read. If you are like me, reading "Turn Left," will lead to reminiscences of road trips, reflections on the question at the heart of the book "what is a hero?" and an appreciation for how looking back can help one look forward.

The best non-fiction writing takes you to places you otherwise wouldn't be able to go and introduces you to people you otherwise wouldn't be able to meet.

Brad Herzog does both in "Turn Left" and it's a ride that makes you think, wonder and laugh. As he explores his own life, while visiting the lives of others, Brad makes you think about your own, but not dwell for too long, as you eagerly await the next chapter and next phase of his journey.

While I'm not a fan of Greek mythology, Brad helped educate me along the way through his explanatory writing while his descriptive style and "real man" touch helped me feel like I was along for the ride.

I only have time to read a few books a year. I'm glad this was one of them.

What a great book. It took 2 days to finish and I found it to be the perfect antidote to the "middle aged hemlock" that we all share. It takes a unique author to go from Who Wants to be a Millionaire, to Amish Country, to the Oracle at Delphi. But the Oracle has spoken and this book is a great read and I sincerely recomend it. And thats my final answer!

I read an excerpt of Brad's book on a recent flight. I bought it immediately when I got home. What a delight! It is equal parts travelogue, mythological history lesson and mid-life rumination all wrappped up into one. It is well written and thoroughly entertaining. I would highly recommend getting this book.

Ron W.
Huntington Beach, CA

Thanks Brad for taking me on your journey through the variety of scenery, characters and introspection. You were able to make me laugh, cry and think all within a few hundred pages. The story surprises from beginning to end with unexpected experiences all wrapped up in consistently fabulous writing.

I have been a fan of Brad Herzog since his first book, "States of Mind", inspired me to take my own cross-country trip in an RV. I thoroughly enjoyed reading his second travelogue, "Small World." But "Turn Left at the Trojan Horse" is more than a travelogue, it is a journey inward and of the heart as well. Brad reveals his own personal thoughts and feelings as he mulls over the definition of a "hero" during his month-long trip from California to New York. He writes with humor and wit and yet is also serious and thought-provoking. This book will stay with you long after you finish reading it. It may open your eyes, as it did mine, to the story each person on this earth has to tell and why it matters to the rest of us. Who are the unsung heroes in your world?

I heard of this book quite by accident, reading the first chapter in a US Airways in-flight magazine and becoming intrigued by the book's premise and promise. I was also moved to know more about the author, whose first chapter offers a self-effacing summary of his time in the hot seat of Who Wants to be a Millionaire.

Certainly the travelogue has been done before, but Herzog's book teases out an entirely new angle, hopscotching from one "mythical" town to the next enroute to a reunion at Cornell, roughly approximating a Homeric journey to discover the hero within. Herzog's knowledge of Greek mythology surfaces comfortably within the book, perfectly complementing the present-day locales and characters he encounters in towns like Athena, Troy and Pandora. Never mind that Herzog calls Pacific Grove--Steinbeck country--his home. This is not "Travels with Charley," but rather a work of humor and history and self-reflection that never preaches. He sticks to the road he's on and finds heroes who glory in the smallest tasks "leaves a greater understanding of the heroic ideal." For all its accessibility, Herzog's narrative offers up genuine poetic depth and rhythm. For example, he describes the Ohio landscape in this way: "long shadows creeping down silos and cherry red barns, which looked almost regal amid the approaching sunset, as if drawing life from the dying light." Later, he documents the dichotomy of a tractor pull and posits it as a metaphor for his own life--craving energy but longing for traction.

In the end, Herzog arrives "home" in every sense, neatly summarizing his tale with the ideal and the proof that in this country, heroes exist both in an around us.

Creatively conceived, beautifully executed, story of a man's personal travel ("read" odyssey!) across the U.S., linking places which have names derived from antiquity to what life is like there today, and rich anecdotes of the people he encounters. Brad Herzog invokes the rhythm of the journeyman--you truly feel as if you are next to him for this entire book! If you know Greek mythology and history, the book will be ecstasy for you; if you do not, it will still be fascinating as a history lesson and as a travelogue. This guy can tell a story!!