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American Rambler: Walking the Trail of Johnny Appleseed
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Expected 12 May 26Win a free print copy of this book!
17 days and 04:50:52
20 copies available
U.S. only
New York Times bestselling author Isaac Fitzgerald sets off to the heart of America, following the path of the legendary Johnny Appleseed on an epic journey that both takes him far from home and brings him closer to it
It’s a difficult thing, to separate legend from story from memory from fact. • The Reverend “In the spirit of John Chapman, who loved apples for their nutrition and their symbolism…”
“And cider,” I whispered.
As a child, Isaac Fitzgerald became obsessed with Johnny Appleseed. Maybe because the legendary rambler—born John Chapman—grew up just down the road from his mother’s family farm. Maybe because of the larger-than-life tales his dad told him on walks in the woods, stories that planted the idea that adventure and discovery lay around every bend in the road. Or perhaps it was a shared sense of restlessness; the same search for both freedom and solitude and what they mean in America 250 years ago and today. Who hasn’t wanted to simply walk out the front door and see what’s out there?
American Rambler is a story about walking; about searching; about one man following the myth of another to find something true about himself and about America. Over the course of a year, Fitzgerald walks in Appleseed’s footsteps, following the path Chapman took from birth to death, from Leominster, MA to Fort Wayne, IN. Using as a starting point the lesser-known facts of Appleseed’s biography—that he belonged to an obscure Christian sect, or that that the bitter, hard apples he distributed were used almost exclusively for making alcoholic beverages—Fitzgerald weaves history and memoir seamlessly, reckoning with his own relationship with alcohol and his family’s shadow of mental illness, reflecting on this nation’s rich, raw, often romanticized past and myths we still tell ourselves about the heartland of the country today.
On his journey, Fitzgerald is attacked by dogs, nearly hit by a train, and taken in by strangers more than once. With each step he takes, we see his unique talent for teasing out the human capacity for contemplation and kindness, bearing him up amidst loss and grief, ritual and faith, grimy gas-station bathrooms, and a whole lot of apple lore. From choral music in cathedrals to tattoo-trimmed vets in back-alley bars, this is a true American odyssey and an antidote to the breakneck pace of modern life. Hopeful, intimate, and often hilarious, this story is about uncovering the things that really matter in this life.
It’s a difficult thing, to separate legend from story from memory from fact. • The Reverend “In the spirit of John Chapman, who loved apples for their nutrition and their symbolism…”
“And cider,” I whispered.
As a child, Isaac Fitzgerald became obsessed with Johnny Appleseed. Maybe because the legendary rambler—born John Chapman—grew up just down the road from his mother’s family farm. Maybe because of the larger-than-life tales his dad told him on walks in the woods, stories that planted the idea that adventure and discovery lay around every bend in the road. Or perhaps it was a shared sense of restlessness; the same search for both freedom and solitude and what they mean in America 250 years ago and today. Who hasn’t wanted to simply walk out the front door and see what’s out there?
American Rambler is a story about walking; about searching; about one man following the myth of another to find something true about himself and about America. Over the course of a year, Fitzgerald walks in Appleseed’s footsteps, following the path Chapman took from birth to death, from Leominster, MA to Fort Wayne, IN. Using as a starting point the lesser-known facts of Appleseed’s biography—that he belonged to an obscure Christian sect, or that that the bitter, hard apples he distributed were used almost exclusively for making alcoholic beverages—Fitzgerald weaves history and memoir seamlessly, reckoning with his own relationship with alcohol and his family’s shadow of mental illness, reflecting on this nation’s rich, raw, often romanticized past and myths we still tell ourselves about the heartland of the country today.
On his journey, Fitzgerald is attacked by dogs, nearly hit by a train, and taken in by strangers more than once. With each step he takes, we see his unique talent for teasing out the human capacity for contemplation and kindness, bearing him up amidst loss and grief, ritual and faith, grimy gas-station bathrooms, and a whole lot of apple lore. From choral music in cathedrals to tattoo-trimmed vets in back-alley bars, this is a true American odyssey and an antidote to the breakneck pace of modern life. Hopeful, intimate, and often hilarious, this story is about uncovering the things that really matter in this life.
352 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication May 12, 2026
6 people are currently reading
3726 people want to read
About the author
Isaac Fitzgerald
13 books327 followersIsaac Fitzgerald appears frequently on The Today Show and is the author of the bestselling children’s book How to Be a Pirate as well as the co-author of Pen & Ink: Tattoos and the Stories Behind Them and Knives & Ink: Chefs and the Stories Behind Their Tattoos (winner of an IACP Award). His writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Guardian, The Best American Nonrequired Reading, The Boston Globe and numerous other publications. His debut memoir, Dirtbag, Massachusetts, is forthcoming in July, 2022. He lives in Brooklyn.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 22, 2026
American Rambler: Walking the Trail of Johnny Appleseed by Isaac Fitzgerald is memoir mixed with a history lesson that follows Isaac along the path of the legendary Johnny Appleseed (John Chapman)
With charm and humanity, Isaac recalls the stories of his youth, the history of John Chapman, and the tales of his current pilgrimage. This doesn’t feel like a history lesson though; it feels like a trusted friend is guiding you from state to state recalling stories of his childhood while also coming to a reckoning about his own life.
Isaac brings a vulnerability to his writing that makes you wish you were walking along side him. His warmth and openness with the people he meets along the way shows that no one escapes a conversation unchanged.
American Rambler will take you on a journey of the faith and friendship that connects more than divides.
With charm and humanity, Isaac recalls the stories of his youth, the history of John Chapman, and the tales of his current pilgrimage. This doesn’t feel like a history lesson though; it feels like a trusted friend is guiding you from state to state recalling stories of his childhood while also coming to a reckoning about his own life.
Isaac brings a vulnerability to his writing that makes you wish you were walking along side him. His warmth and openness with the people he meets along the way shows that no one escapes a conversation unchanged.
American Rambler will take you on a journey of the faith and friendship that connects more than divides.
February 12, 2026
"Stories mixed with facts. The soul of this country, a wad of myths and barely-agreed-upon rules strapped together to make up these United States of America. A country built to hold room for--or perhaps cover up, or even purposefully forget--the shifting sands of history."
I don't really have any interest in the myth of Johnny Appleseed, and if you don't either, that's okay. I loved Fitzgerald's Dirtbag, Massachusetts, and if you enjoyed that book, this will appeal to you as well. Yes, it's about John Chapman, but it's also about the myth of the United States and how malleable history can be. It's about the changing landscape of this country and how it's progressed, for better or for worse depending on who you ask. Reading this book feels like cozying up to a bar in a non-descript strip center in the middle of the middle of America and sharing a cold beer with a friendly stranger.
I don't really have any interest in the myth of Johnny Appleseed, and if you don't either, that's okay. I loved Fitzgerald's Dirtbag, Massachusetts, and if you enjoyed that book, this will appeal to you as well. Yes, it's about John Chapman, but it's also about the myth of the United States and how malleable history can be. It's about the changing landscape of this country and how it's progressed, for better or for worse depending on who you ask. Reading this book feels like cozying up to a bar in a non-descript strip center in the middle of the middle of America and sharing a cold beer with a friendly stranger.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Leave Bill Bryson on your parent's dusty bookshelf and pull up a stool at the bar to listen to Fitzgerald share his own travelogue over a half dozen boozy ciders.
Anyone that's met, read, or experienced Isaac Fitzgerald in any form knows that he could charm anyone into joining him on an impromptu adventure and reading this book feels like walking alongside him as he sets off on a long walk to better understand (ostensibly) Johnny (Chapman) Appleseed, Rural America, and himself.
But those who have read his first book (memoir/collection), Dirtbag Massachusetts, will not be disappointed to learn that even though this might look like a firsthand historical investigation, it's still Isaac spilling his proverbial guts (and literal guts in a scene or two here, with humor as always) on the page.
And yet I did learn quite a bit about Appleseed aka John Chapman, as well as the coming of age of the (still young!) America we all know (and maybe don't love as much as we used to). Isaac does indeed love his country as well as every stranger he encounters in it, and will share personal stories of his own in exchange for your secrets, tips, and history of this place.
So put on your hiking shoes, even if they don't fit quite like they used to, and stumble through these adventures with Isaac as your guide, docent, historian, and comedian. It's more MOTH story than TED Talk and yet you'll learn a lot more than you might have expected in the process.
Let's hope Fitzgerald keeps walking... and writing... for as long as he can stay awake on the beaten path - this book is a gem of self discovery, personal growth, and our collective history. Love it.
Anyone that's met, read, or experienced Isaac Fitzgerald in any form knows that he could charm anyone into joining him on an impromptu adventure and reading this book feels like walking alongside him as he sets off on a long walk to better understand (ostensibly) Johnny (Chapman) Appleseed, Rural America, and himself.
But those who have read his first book (memoir/collection), Dirtbag Massachusetts, will not be disappointed to learn that even though this might look like a firsthand historical investigation, it's still Isaac spilling his proverbial guts (and literal guts in a scene or two here, with humor as always) on the page.
And yet I did learn quite a bit about Appleseed aka John Chapman, as well as the coming of age of the (still young!) America we all know (and maybe don't love as much as we used to). Isaac does indeed love his country as well as every stranger he encounters in it, and will share personal stories of his own in exchange for your secrets, tips, and history of this place.
So put on your hiking shoes, even if they don't fit quite like they used to, and stumble through these adventures with Isaac as your guide, docent, historian, and comedian. It's more MOTH story than TED Talk and yet you'll learn a lot more than you might have expected in the process.
Let's hope Fitzgerald keeps walking... and writing... for as long as he can stay awake on the beaten path - this book is a gem of self discovery, personal growth, and our collective history. Love it.
March 2, 2026
I got an early ARC of American Rambler from NetGalley. I’m a fan of Bill Bryson and journey memoirs, so I was excited to dive in. I didn’t know much about Johnny Appleseed before this, so learning about that bit of history and legend was really interesting. That said, I wish Fitzgerald had leaned more deeply into his own story. I felt a bit disconnected from the emotional core of the book. The journey also felt somewhat fragmented since it isn’t continuous (he drives between sections), and that lack of continuity isn’t really explained upfront. Still, it was an enjoyable read overall and I’d recommend it if you’re drawn to this kind of memoir-meets-travelogue.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
A blend of memoir, history, and travelogue, with echoes of the Beat Generation, the author describes his odyssey across a region of the USA most Americans don't consider interesting, let alone think about visiting. Meandering through Massachusetts, Ohio, and Indiana, he wanders through woods, drifts down rivers, drinks a lot of hard cider, drives a jeep, and meets numerous eccentric locals. In the picaresque style, commenting on America past and present, he revives the myth and history of John Chapman (aka Johnny Appleseed), an era of frontiersmen in a region steeped in legend, and waiting for rediscovery.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
An interesting premise that weaves together walking, history, and reflection. The pacing of the book felt off to me, and I do wish we got less of Johnny Appleseed history and more of the author’s personal life, as those are the pieces I most enjoyed.
*many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the advanced reader copy.
*many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the advanced reader copy.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Such a fun book!
I grew up with the story of Johnny Appleseed, so I was really interested in the author’s journey to follow the same path. Fitzgerald’s narrative is so full of life and heart and was thoroughly entertaining. Such a fitting tribute to Appleseed’s legend.
Thanks to the publisher for sending an early copy of this book to read!
I grew up with the story of Johnny Appleseed, so I was really interested in the author’s journey to follow the same path. Fitzgerald’s narrative is so full of life and heart and was thoroughly entertaining. Such a fitting tribute to Appleseed’s legend.
Thanks to the publisher for sending an early copy of this book to read!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews