Customer Reviews

Highway 50: Ain't That America!

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I cannot understand why this book is not better known. I found it to be in the same vein and every bit as good as Blue Highways and Travels with Charley, and it should take it's rightful place alongside those classic American travelogues. It is the classic story of a man who drives across America, reporting on the people he meets and the discoveries that he makes. One interesting aspect of this book is that the author, who quit his job as a journalist to make this trip, has to stop now and then and work to make a little cash when he is running low. It is filled with odd people and interesting places, and Lillefors thoughtful commentary is often poetic. If you have been looking for something to read since finishing Blue Highways, this is the book that you have been waiting for!

This is one of my favorite "road" books. It's a fun, well-crafted story about a great neglected highway. Very different from Blue Highways and many other road books because it's about a single highway. It's in the same tradition, the way Blue Highways is in the tradition of Travels With Charley and Travels with Charley is in the tradition of Mark Twain, etc. A fun read.

This book is kind of a small classic, idiosyncratic and funny. I agreed with the review in The Times when it was first published, saying that it's best enjoyed as a collection of individual stories. I still like picking it up and reading a chapter now and then. Each creates a portrait of some aspect of America that is certainly worth knowing, and is often poignant.

This book chronicles Jim Lilliefors's trip across America on Route 50, focusing on stories about the people and towns he goes through in rural America. It was interesting to hear his stories, but they weren't compelling enough to rate this book higher. This book would appeal most to people with an interest in rural living and the social evolution of America.

This is an excellent book that takes readers along one of the most interesting roads in America.

Comparisons to Bryson and Least Heat Moon are not really accurate. Highway 50 is a poor rehash of these two great writers. Lilliefors lies to people he meets, pre-judges almost everyone, seems to copy every action Least Heat Moon took. Lilliefors wrote a bad book and is a poor storyteller.

This book has been compared to Bill Bryson's The Lost Continent and Moon's Blue Highways. The comparison isn't even close. Yes,it's a "road" book and provides pleasant and lightweight reading but is not nearly as entertaining as the above mentioned books.