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jmrprice's review against another edition
3.0
A wonderful dive into an America that seems to only exist in our minds and bypassed by the interstate-all the interesting people and places that make America what it is- a wonderful, quirky world still coming to terms with itself.
Rather, somewhat, like the author when he started this adventure.
Rather, somewhat, like the author when he started this adventure.
bittersweet_symphony's review against another edition
3.0
Two parts anthropological observation, one part history and a final part anecdotal Native American perspectives, Heat-Moon provides an unusual objective and fair-minded look at the lives of small town America. Although his focus is on the experiences and wisdom of the "hidden voices" he meets, the book loses out on a chance to provide readers with insight into Heat-Moon's own journey. More wisdom could have been shared had the stories of Blue Highway peoples been juxtaposed with how they changed the author. Regardless, we are shown that even living in a place like Nameless, you can still be a significant life. It's a pity the distinctions in regional cultures are being lost in a federalizing country and globalizing world that swallows up dissident voices. This book will likely become more important as this trend continues, serving as a reminder of a more colorful and regionally diverse time in American history.
kcrouth's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book. The author, William Least Heat-Moon leaves Columbia MO in 1978 to embark on a trip literally around the entire continental US (map here) http://littourati.squarespace.com/storage/moon-files/moon_map.htm) in a 1975 Ford Econoline van (the van he named Ghost Dancing) . https://anthromuseum.missouri.edu/minigalleries/bluehiways/intro.shtml. I arrived in Columbia as a freshman engineering student the following year, 1979. His plan was to follow the secondary roads rather than the main highways (blue on the map, interstates were red), hence the title "Blue Highways". This account of his journey is filled with history, real people and places, and a depth and authenticity in the telling of these peoples stories that allows the reader to experience the interaction that the author is sharing with us. The places visited, and people encountered and interviewed on this journey are fascinating and offer a rich cross section of the US. Historical depth is provided, sometimes by the author, but most often by the people interviewed. This account bears a similarity to another travelogue I recently read by John Steinbeck entitled "Travels with Charley". Both of these books are excellent, and I thoroughly enjoyed them.
I couldn't help but feel like embarking on a journey of this kind myself. Maybe that feeling is what is referred to as "wanderlust"? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wanderlust The Wiki article suggests that a better term may be "farsickness". Whatever it is called, I felt it, and also am reminded of a trip my wife and I took 2 years ago. After a family reunion in Colorado, we kept the rental van, and spent 2 more weeks driving around Colorado and New Mexico, just seeing what we could see. It was but a small taste of what this wonderful book shares, but a taste nevertheless. I'm jumping into the companion volume "Blue Highways Revisited" which is a pictorial journey over the same route some 30 years later. In addition I'm in search of the remaining 2 books of the so-called travel trilogy by William Least Heat-Moon
1. Blue Highways
2. PrairyErth - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/163868.PrairyErth
3. River-Horse - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58957.River_Horse
I couldn't help but feel like embarking on a journey of this kind myself. Maybe that feeling is what is referred to as "wanderlust"? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wanderlust The Wiki article suggests that a better term may be "farsickness". Whatever it is called, I felt it, and also am reminded of a trip my wife and I took 2 years ago. After a family reunion in Colorado, we kept the rental van, and spent 2 more weeks driving around Colorado and New Mexico, just seeing what we could see. It was but a small taste of what this wonderful book shares, but a taste nevertheless. I'm jumping into the companion volume "Blue Highways Revisited" which is a pictorial journey over the same route some 30 years later. In addition I'm in search of the remaining 2 books of the so-called travel trilogy by William Least Heat-Moon
1. Blue Highways
2. PrairyErth - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/163868.PrairyErth
3. River-Horse - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58957.River_Horse
libellum_aphrodite's review against another edition
I didn't make it through all of this book. I liked the concept better than the execution. It was, in a word, boring.
scottg73's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
4.0
pammella's review against another edition
4.0
Love the idea of anticipating how good a “hole in the wall” restaurant will be (or won’t be) based on the number of calendars pinned up on the walls. Also enjoyed the tour of what used to be local beers, pre-craft brewery, and local food like Jenny Cream Ale & beef on wick. Food and beer may not be the most important parts of the trip, but for me they set the scenes just as much as the lovely descriptions of the landscapes and weather.