The Walker, the Driver, and Otto: Wayfaring Strangers on a Continental Roundabout

Journeys have their own sense of time-their own momentum. They make of the months and moments a new calendar and clock. Our adventure tried and tested us according to its own philosophy. We came to realize time and again that there would be no teaching it--it would always be teaching us.The Walker, the Driver, and Otto is the memoir of a year in the life of the Walker: Physical education teacher, masters record-holding swimmer, on a 1987-88 sabbatical to walk around the approximate perimeter of the U.S.; the Driver: Former teacher, writer, naturalist, artist, musician, composer, and support person for the Walker; and Otto: 1978 VW camper van, shelter, sanctuary, retreat, blind, study; formerly tested on an Alaskan roundabout.

Review :
The Walker, the Driver, and Otto is a fascinating memoir centered on McIntosh's husband Don as he attempts to circumnavigate the perimeter of the U.S.A. on foot. Their encounters and insights as they traverse the country, with the assistance of their trusty VW van Otto, are profoundly interesting and absorbing. McIntosh's text is finely crafted, with a keen eye for detail that encapsulates the majestic U.S. landscapes, forming a vivid backdrop for her impressive exploration of human endeavor. The Walker, the Driver, and Otto is a riveting story of perseverance, drive and adventure, captured in moving detail by McIntosh's sharp observations and insights. Fran's reflections on their travels, karma, and the people and locales they encounter along the way, are frequently refreshing and enlightening. McIntosh writes in a bold, detailed, and intriguing manner that captivates the reader from the off. Not only is The Walker, the Driver, and Otto a fascinating story, but McIntosh's ability to craft a heartwarming adventure from their travels is something to be marveled at. A gripping memoir fueled by a keen sense of adventure. -The BookLife Prize in Nonfiction The Walker, the Driver, and Otto...is an absolutely delightful book: equal parts harrowing and heartwarming, beautifully written, and expertly crafted for a pleasant reading experience all around. It chronicles [the author's] ex-husband Don's walking circumnavigation of the continental US, for which she was the titular driver of Otto, the brown, heatless VW camper van that served as his support vehicle. In cafes, parking lots, and campgrounds, McIntosh wrote such detailed notes about the places, people, and natural life and landscape they encountered along the way that it all feels tremendously immediate in the reading. But what affected me the most is how McIntosh emerges from a story ostensibly about Don's adventure as the hero of her own story. --Becky D. The Walker, the Driver, and Otto is a story about perseverance, wonderfully told through the eyes of The Driver. Fran's retelling of her year as part of that threesome is personal, honest and heartfelt. The Walker walked the perimeter of the United States. Otto, the van, transported the supplies and gave shelter. The Driver, Fran, looked at life along the way and wrote a beautifully detailed account of their journey. The book is full of nature, nurture, insight, karma and the musings of a writer who finds herself with a year's worth of time to reflect on her hands. --Beth M.