America's Call: The Rocky Road of the American Dream...a Travelogue of One Man's Discovery

America's Call is based on the journal that John Bernhard used to chronicle his trip to North America during the late 1970s. It is the story of two young friends on a New World walkabout, questing to discover their destinies and their souls during a quintessential time in U.S. history.

The beauty of America's Call lies in Bernhard's visual depictions of 1970s America, the various destinations that make up his journey, and the people he meets along the way. Bernhard offers a sense of adventure and curiosity reminiscent of the vanished era he describes, and introduces those of us who missed it to a bygone America that we can only hope will not be forgotten.

"I had dreamt of traveling to the New World for as long as I could remember. I had filled my imagination with the romance of exploration until it overflowed with wild curiosity. When I left Europe on my journey, I did so without a definite destination. I knew only that I wanted to discover as much of North America as I could, from Canada to the U.S., from Alberta's Rockies to California's beaches. I wanted to see it all.

When I think of America as it was 30 years ago, I conjure fond memories of a nation and a culture that no longer exists. My story is the recollection of a journey of personal discovery that took place at the end of a very special era. So much has changed in my adopted country since then. Although the American dreams that filled my youth are long gone, the affectionate memories remain. Like a photograph, this book is a snapshot of that time."

John Bernhard was born in Switzerland and after his backpack adventure, the draw to the U.S. tugged at his mind until he returned and settled in Houston, Texas to pursue the American dream. For the past three decades he has chosen the medium of photography to explore the everyday world from new perspectives, breaking away into different pathways of artistic expression. He has designed and built his dream house and his studio adjacent to it where he works as an artist. He is the author of seven monographs, including: Nudes Metamorphs, Nicaragua, John Bernhard, Drift, Diptych, China, and Body Work.