Very interesting, thoughtful & relaxing to listen to.
I first came across this book in paperback years ago, and thought it was one of the best things I had ever read. I raved about it so much my wife gave me a hardcover copy which I still have. I ran across the cd version 5 or 6 years ago, took it on my next road trip and enjoyed it again. Since then, the audio version has accompanied two of my friends on road trips, but I doubt that I'll listen to it again, so feel free to claim it.
This was William Least Heat-Moon's first book and probably his most successful though he has written several since. The "Blue Highways" title has a double meaning. The author, an English instructor without tenure, was declared surplus by the U of Missouri; at about the same time, he and his wife separated. He was in such a blue funk he decided on a long road trip to clear his mind. Since he detested Interstate highway driving (I do too), he set out to circumnavigate the continental United States using non-freeways as much as possible - these were mainly marked on road maps in blue in those days.
Much like John Steinbeck in "Travels with Charlie", he outfitted a pickup truck with a camper shell and slept and ate there for most of the trip, although his was certainly a much lower-budget endeavor than Steinbeck's, and I thought a much more enjoyable work since he's a lot less opinionated than Steinbeck was in his book. Altogether an enjoyable read/listen, especially if you can do it on a long road trip.
This was William Least Heat-Moon's first book and probably his most successful though he has written several since. The "Blue Highways" title has a double meaning. The author, an English instructor without tenure, was declared surplus by the U of Missouri; at about the same time, he and his wife separated. He was in such a blue funk he decided on a long road trip to clear his mind. Since he detested Interstate highway driving (I do too), he set out to circumnavigate the continental United States using non-freeways as much as possible - these were mainly marked on road maps in blue in those days.
Much like John Steinbeck in "Travels with Charlie", he outfitted a pickup truck with a camper shell and slept and ate there for most of the trip, although his was certainly a much lower-budget endeavor than Steinbeck's, and I thought a much more enjoyable work since he's a lot less opinionated than Steinbeck was in his book. Altogether an enjoyable read/listen, especially if you can do it on a long road trip.
