Blue Highways

A Journey into America

By: William Least Heat-Moon

Narrated by: Joe Barrett

Hailed as a masterpiece of American travel writing, Blue Highways is an unforgettable journey along our nation's backroads. William Least Heat-Moon set out with little more than the need to put home behind him and a sense of curiosity about "those little towns that get on the map-if they get on at all-only because some cartographer has a blank space to fill: Remote, Oregon; Simplicity, Virginia; New Freedom, Pennsylvania; New Hope, Tennessee; Why, Arizona; Whynot, Mississippi." His adventures, his discoveries, and his recollections of the extraordinary people he encountered along the way amount to a revelation of the true American experience.

©1982 William Least Heat-Moon (P)2013 Hachette Audio

My second-favorite book

Just read it, and then, ten years later read it again. You'll be surprised at how much of it stays with you. It is a peak into the rest of the USA no matter where you are from.

A Classic Tour of America

I had never heard of this book and only decided to read it after it was recommended by a virtual book club. The story started slowly but there were many interesting stories and experiences along his circuitous journey. Either times have changed significantly or the author must have amazing charisma to be able to have such varied experiences. The book was very well written with many eloquent axioms. Definitely worth your time!

Please take the time.

I had a hard time getting into this book and almost quit. Then suddenly I got caught up in the cadence of the language, the history of the times and the wisdom of William Least Heat-Moon and the people he met on his journey. I've listened to several sections over and over. I'm so glad I didn't miss this book.

I didn’t know how bereft I was…

At first I wasn’t sure, about the author or the voice reading….but it wasn’t long before they both fit the bill. Not many authors possess an inherent way of being that is unfakeably original and also worthy of upping your listening level, or maybe deepening it to meet a challenge- just finished another and i am wanting still more…be careful. Melville was not an appropriated author in his time, Moon is more so but I would submit not enough for the gifts given, especially in the times we find ourselves living.

Overall good

Interesting road log. Slow at times but worth a listen. Would like to try this kind of road trip myself now

Well written, well read and well enjoyed!

I was looking for something similar to Steinbeck's "Travels with Charley" and found this gem.

Loved hearing this story again

I read this book in college which gave me the “go ahead” to make a 7,000 mile trip in a little Mazda pickup truck after finishing grad school. Hearing this book 30 years later reinstilled my wanderlust for the blue highways, the small towns along them and the people you meet.

Great book/great narrator

Very memorable book with a lot of places that are easily identifiable if you have done some travel throughout the US. They picked the perfect narrator as well.

36 years later, Blue Highways remains a reminder

of how travel can and does make us whole again. When this book first came out, I was interested in reading about the travel experiences of others. I was happy to see that William Least Heat-Moon has held up many years later. A mix of Zen and Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and Charles Kurault's On the Road, we see interesting place and people. We also see how travel is part of life for those who let it be. If you have not read it, add it to you wish list.

road trippin ethnography

A road trip ethnography through the eastern half of the United States including the often-overlooked Midwest. Rich with geographical information /cultural backgrounds of people / dialectical curiosities... most of them about the extraordinary ordinary people of the nation. Has an Edward Abbey like perspective on modernization. Also offers a Native American perspective. Also written before cell phones, which I found a refreshing, no mention of the little devices that caused so much mischief. last two books I read were the Sixth Great Extinction and Desert Solitaire.