Play Audiobook Sample
Blue Highways: A Journey into America Audiobook
Play Audiobook Sample
(3.00) - 7,445 listener ratings
Quick Stats About this Audiobook
Total Audiobook Chapters:
Longest Chapter Length:
Shortest Chapter Length:
Average Chapter Length:
Audiobooks by this Author:
Publisher Description
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.
Download and start listening now!
"This man has an uncanny knack for subtly bringing life's treasures to the forefront. All he does is recount his journey and the interesting characters he meets along the way. But what I've found in this book is a pleasant, overlooked gift...the gift of happy memories of living, breathing stories, anecdotes that I could never have gathered on my own."
— Glenn (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
-
“Wondrous...brilliant...a stunningly good book...Reading Blue Highways made me go back and look at Jack Kerouac’s On the Road to see if Mr. Least Heat-Moon does as well. He does far better.”
— New York Times Book Review -
“Heat-Moon walks through this book...with a patient, eloquent, beautiful pace, his eyes taking in everything and its meaning. Then he puts our words and our vistas into language that lives on the page.”
— Los Angeles Times Book Review -
“Heat-Moon is a witty, generous, sophisticated, and democratic observer. His modesty, kindly humor, and his uncanny gift of catching good people at good moments makes Blue Highways a joy to read.”
— Annie Dillard, New York Times bestselling author -
“A masterpiece...a magnificent and unique tour.”
— Robert Penn Warren, New York Times bestselling author -
“It’s a beauty, a true delight on every page.”
— Walker Percy, New York Times bestselling author -
“William Least Heat-Moon writes with true heat and pungency about an America that scarcely anybody knows about, an America that we have been led to believe no longer exists...An overwhelming book.”
— Jim Harrison, New York Times bestselling author -
“Better than Kerouac.”
— Chicago Sun-Times -
“Blue Highways is a splendid book, outstanding Americana.”
— Wall Street Journal -
“The real life of the book...lies in the amazing variety of American originals the lonely and curious author meets along the way...Half-Moon has the judgement to step aside and let them tell their own often remarkable stories in their own words. The results are unexpected and sometimes very funny.”
— Newsweek -
“American travel writing is a constantly rewarding genre in the right hands. William Least Heat-Moon has great hands.”
— Time -
“Plenty of plain good old entertainment. Heat-Moon has a penchant for humor: a zanier cast of characters has rarely been paraded before modern-day readers.”
— Christian Science Monitor -
“Heat-Moon’s literary portraits of ordinary Americans should not be merely read, but savored.”
— Amazon.com, editorial review -
“If you would like to know who and what America is at the center, read this book. This is what we, as a people, are about.”
— N. Scott Momaday
Awards
-
A New York Times bestseller
Blue Highways Listener Reviews
-
—
Ruth, 7/9/2020
-
" One of my most favorite books! "
— Penny, 2/19/2014 -
" One of the most enjoyable books I've ever read. I always take the blue highway rather than the interstate. This book is unvarnished, non-Disney America. Thank you, WLHM. "
— Mary, 2/19/2014 -
" I read this long time ago, probably about 1985, and remember being very impressed. For some reason this time it just didn't work for me - maybe because now I'm older than he, and have taken some cross-country road trips of my own. So, 3.5 stars would be the best compromise between my two different ratings. "
— Cheryl, 2/7/2014 -
" One of the first travelogs I've read and it still stands out today. Very good book! "
— Cheryl, 2/6/2014 -
" A good tale of traveling across the USA by the smaller roads - thus the blue highways on the maps. Read it a long time ago, and I like Least Heat Moons style of writing. "
— Sherry, 1/26/2014 -
" Lisel's Book Club pick for January 24, 2010, meeting. "
— Kathy, 1/20/2014 -
" A great back roads book! What an adventure he had. "
— Jennifer, 1/13/2014 -
" completely brilliant, I dont know why its not more famous "
— Nicola, 1/6/2014 -
" a beautiful book to re-read, and very interesting to come back to after 15 years, a marriage, and two children. william least heat-moon is an american in the charles kuralt vein. "
— Mike, 1/5/2014 -
" We read this mind expanding account of native Americans out loud on a trip one year. I still think about it. "
— Jan, 1/1/2014 -
" I don't know quite how to rate it as a piece of literature, but it's one of the most enjoyable books I've read. Screw "progress" "
— Peter, 12/29/2013 -
" A book that set my heart on maps and trying to see as much of the world as possible. "
— Dennis, 12/23/2013 -
" I read this book because we read a chapter from it during high school called "Nameless Tenneessee" I really enjoyed getting the entire story! "
— Ms., 12/11/2013 -
" Really good but kind of depressing. Not my favorite of his books, and I am definitely a fan of Least Heat Moon. "
— Jennie, 11/12/2013 -
" Iliked this. "
— Gabriel, 11/12/2013 -
" This man travels America and tells a fine story of people and places and tasty food and beatiful things. If it doesn't kindle your wanderlust, nothing will. "
— Blythe, 11/12/2013 -
" An off-beat travelogue of wanderings through America's backroads. Nowhere, Tennesseee anyone? "
— Joseph, 9/20/2013 -
" As good as I remember it from college: sort of "Wild" for the last millenium: a journey around America in a van, prompted by personal crisis. Good storytelling. "
— Mari, 8/15/2013 -
" A wonderful book about America and the three-calendar diner. I had read it years before and admired the wonderful stories of the people he ran into. Now I felt more of his journey and bravery. And his photos are fabulous. "
— J, 8/10/2013 -
" This is one of the best American travel narratives out there. William Least Heat Moon sets out in a van to explore the less-traveled roads around the country and meets some amazing characters along the way. Definitely a favorite. "
— Hannah, 7/24/2013 -
" Excellent besides he mentions going through my hometown of Jacobson in the book. lol "
— Doris, 4/14/2013 -
" This was a re-read since we were off on one of our blue highway trips of only 8500 miles. Note, a lot of the type of cafes he talks about don't exist anymore. I would say a lot of the towns don't exist either, but it is much more intersting driving blue highways rather than interstates. "
— Virginia, 2/1/2013
About William Least Heat-Moon
William Least Heat-Moon is the pen name of William Trogdon, who was born in Kansas City, Missouri. He holds a bachelor’s degree in photojournalism and a doctorate in English from the University of Missouri. He is the author of the New York Times bestseller Blue Highways. His other works include Prairyerth, Columbus in the Americas, Roads to Quoz, and River-Horse, an account of his travels along America’s interior waterways.
About Joe Barrett
Joe Barrett, an actor and Audie Award and Earphones Award–winning narrator, has appeared both on and off Broadway as well as in hundreds of radio and television commercials.