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Blue Highways

A Journey into America

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Blue Highways

By: William Least Heat-Moon
Narrated by: Joe Barrett
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About this listen

 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. Adventure Travel Adventurers, Explorers & Survival North America Travel Writing & Commentary United States Adventure

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As a huge fan for decades of Jack Kerouac's 'On The Road' I decided to Google for a list of the best books depicting life on the road. I purchased this title and was not disappointed. Fascinated with the author's mixed Native American/ white American ancestry, it was a treat to hear William Least Heat-Moon offer regular slices of information about the various indigenous tribes who once lived freely upon the land before white settlers came. His travels in a camper around the back highways of the USA is filled with glimpses of daily life as experienced by the ordinary people he chanced across in his travels. We see an America still very much struggling with racial divisions at the most basic level, a segregated society where nonetheless many mourn the melting away of traditional values under the threat of a more industrialised, monogonous culture. It's a theme almost every generation since seemed to have struggled with, a harking back to the 'good old days' being a not uncommon thread we have heard from almost every corner of humanity. Nonetheless, this story brought many a smile and the occasional laugh at the author's rather dry but apt humour, whilst offering a rich appraisal of the majesty of the country's vast and varied natural beauty alongside an engaging depiction of the many peoples who call America home. The narration style by Joe Barrett was warm and easy to listen to. It's one of those rare audiobooks I can imagine myself using as a regular bedtime companion, listening through to it time and again to be my doorway into dreams.

An interesting travel tale of life on the road

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This is a spell-binding account of one knowledgeable, but knowledgeable man’s description of his circular tour of America by its back roads.
Sensitive to the people he meets, persevering against the endless hardships he encounters, informative throughout it is a book you’ll never want to put down- and you will never forget the yellow slug!
Superbly read from start to finish

A Must Read Account of Travelling America

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I loved it. a gigantic journey full of interesting people and descriptions of places. Ok i could'be done without the rambling metaphysical nonsense and a tendency to quote the same few people over and over but what the hell, i was captivated by this book. 40 years on, i wonder how this journey would look and sound like today.

An epic journey i'd love to take.

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A deep and very thought provoking story describing the journey of a highly intelligent man as he journeys through some really fascinating and diverse parts of the US. His fusion of native American and European ancestry makes for a refreshing and entertaining perspective on what makes those remote and sometimes isolated communities tick. I loved following William Least Heat Moon's journey on Google Earth or Google Maps as I commute to work on the train.

A beautiful book, beautifully narrated

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Lovely book I really enjoyed it . I thought it started slow and wasn’t sure about it but got me hooked witty,funny with rewarding insights into America

Blue highway

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