About this title: William Least Heat Moon is part Sioux (hence the name), part Anglo. Filled with wanderlust after losing both his wife and his job, he took to the road with the goal of traveling to "those little towns that get on the map...only because some cartographer has a blank space to fill." His idiosyncratic, colorful, character-filled journey across the back roads of America has become a classic of travel literature.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Fawcett
Date Published: 1983-12-12
ISBN-13:9780449204320ISBN:0449204324
Description: Fair. Paperbacks are previously owned. They are all in readable condition. They may have previous owners stamps, labels or names written or on them. The covers and spine may have creasing from previously being read. The corners may be bumped and there may be a small number of bent pages. Older paperbacks may have fading or discoloration due to age/storage * read more
Binding: Mass-market paperback
Publisher: Ballantine Books, NY
Date Published: 1984
ISBN-13:9780449204320ISBN:0449204324
Description: Good. No dust jacket as issued. 1984 Fawcett Crest paperback. NOT EX LIB! Bright, clean pages with some reading wear, some page waviness, barely creased spine, light edgewear, covers lightly scuffed & creased. 435 p. Glued binding. Index. read more
Binding: Mass-market paperback
Publisher: Fawcett Books
Date Published: 1982
ISBN-13:9780449204320ISBN:0449204324
Description: Very good. No dust jacket as issued. Clean text, tight spine, very little wear. Great shape! 435 pages. Index. Photos. Glued binding. Audience: General/trade. read more
Binding: Mass-market paperback
Publisher: Fawcett Books
Date Published: 1983
ISBN-13:9780449204320ISBN:0449204324
Description: Very good. No dust jacket as issued. Light edge and corner wear. No marks. Tight binding. Mass market (rack) paperback. Glued binding. Audience: General/trade. read more
Description: Good. Spine is smooth. Covers show some wear at the edges and corners. Good reading copy. Binding is Mass Market Paperback. Pages tanning. Used books may have price stickers. Most orders ship on the next business day. read more
Binding: Mass-market paperback
Publisher: Fawcett Books
Date Published: 1983
ISBN-13:9780449204320ISBN:0449204324
Description: Very good. No dust jacket as issued. Slight wear on the edges. Mass market (rack) paperback. Glued binding. Audience: General/trade. read more
Description: Very Good. 0449204324 Great condition paperback book, clean pages, mild creases to spine, some edge/corner rubs, this book is GREAT! Shop & Save With US. read more
Edition: First Printing
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Fawcett, New York, New York, U.S.A.
Date Published: 1984
ISBN-13:9780449204320ISBN:0449204324
Description: Very Good. No Jacket. 12mo-over 6¾"-7¾" tall. Very light edge wear. Great copy with tight binding and clean pages. read more
"Of the travel books I read this summer ("Cross-Country" and "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance"), this was easily the best. I particularly liked the writer's focus on the landscapes, on the task of meeting people as he went, the conversations he had, the variety of food he ate, the roads he traveled, and his repeated return to Whitman for inspiration or clarification. A great book, though I still like the Interstate Highway system (which he tends to deplore). I look forward to reading his other books, particularly the one about traveling across the country via its rivers."
"I read this back in the early eighties and immediately added it to my favorite reads of all time list.
Now, after completing my first reread, I would have to say that this remains a favorite. Pretty good book if it hangs in there almost thirty years later.
Heat-Moon travels America after losing his job and his wife in rapid succession. He takes to the blue highways, the roads on the map where few travel. He finds, for the most part, that solace and quiet companionship and time for reflection that he sought."
"The ultimate travel work, Blue Highways originated the down-and-out road trip. After losing his job and struggling through a messy divorce Heat-Moon hops in his van, Ghost Dancing, in search for... well, he doesn't know at first, but eventually he finds it is a search for authenticity. He asks the questions "What are Americans really like?""What is America in this day and age?"
Heat-Moon's approachability and genuine interest in human life are endearing. He leaves an impression, no matter how small, on everyone he encounters, and they do the same for him.
If you have any interest in traveling or travel writing this book is vital for your library."
""In my own country, I had gone out, had met, had shared. I had stood as witness." - William Least Heat-Moon
And so he did. I'm glad he did. His doing so gave me the pleasure of reading this 400-page epic journey across the United States of America. I haven't read too many travel books yet, but I doubt I'll find one better than this.
Author William Least Heat-Moon was in a bad place in 1978. Divorce. Job loss. He decided to take a trip across the country in his Ford truck, named "Ghost Dancing." He wandered mostly around the states that form the borders of the United States, making a great circle until he returned home. Along the way, he saw sights, met people, heard stories, witnessed lives, had troubles, experienced joys, and wrote about it all later. He traveled the lesser-known "Blue" highways (thus the title), staying away from the soulless interstates and large cities. He explored America's backroads and gave us something very special.
What I liked most about this book was the amazing places and people that Least Heat-Moon discovered. Each of these individuals may not have considered themselves to be noteworthy, but they are. The people in this book are America. Each stop the author made brought a new story, a new way of life, a new quirk. A reader will never forget the characters met through these pages.
What sets Least Heat-Moon's book apart from the pack is the intellectual spin he put on his journey. The author is constantly thinking about what his adventure means, what he can learn from the people he meets and the challenges he faces along the way. This is much more than just travel. I must admit, though, that these philosophical sections get a bit boring after a while. When he stopped writing about his thoughts and stopped somewhere, though, I was anxious to see what great new person we would meet and what their story would be.
One thing to remember when reading this book is that the author took the trip in 1978. While reading, I was always stopping to wonder what happened to the people Least Heat-Moon wrote about. Are they still around? How did their lives change over the years after we met them? Did the towns and other places the author visited change too?
Change is one big theme in this book. The author makes many remarks about how progress is changing the flavor of America. Such remarks are common even today, which shows that change is something that doesn't change at all. I'm sure that, if Least Heat-Moon made the trip again, most of the places he saw would be nearly unrecognizable. He wrote about many small places that were just barely hanging on. Did they survive, or are they gone like many of the places he tried to find only to discover they no longer existed?
The back of the book includes a map of the route tha author took. Looking at this map makes me realize just how much of the country the author did not see. It makes me realize just how big the USA really is.
One thing I noticed while reading is that most of the people Least Heat-Moon met were basically the same no matter where he went. They were all humble, just trying to build a life the best way they knew how. They were all friendly, even if some were cautious at first. They were all generous too, letting a stranger into their lives for an hour or a night or a day. I wonder if that generosity is gone now. Thirty years later, you can't be too careful with those you know nothing about. I think that part of America may be gone, but I hope it isn't.
One change that has made this book even better is the internet. As I was reading, I could load up Google Earth or Google Maps and see what these places look like. I could see the geography for myself, which made the descriptions all the more real. I wonder how the internet would change a journey such as this one.
In the very last chapter, Least Heat-Moon describes his experience waling through a labyrinth in New Harmony, Indiana. I thought it summed up the spirit of his long adventure quite nicely:
"But without the errors, wrong turns, and blind alleys, without the doubling back and misdirection and fumbling and chance discoveries, there was not one bit of joy in walking the labyrinth. And worse: knowing the way made traveling it perfectly meaningless.""
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