Staff Picks
Wide Open Spaces: American Road Trip Books
- Sara M.
- Saturday, August 10, 2019
Collection
Summer is almost over, but there's still time for a road trip! Get some snacks you'd never buy anywhere but at a gas station, make a playlist, and set your cruise control for these books about traveling across our vast country by highway.
The Lost Continent
Travels in Small-town America
Published in 1989
When a native of Iowa returns from England to wander across America's heartland in search of the perfect small town, the result is a string of hilarious anecdotes and biting social commentary.
American Gods
Published in 2011
Upon his release from prison, a widower accepts a job as a bodyguard and joins the battle between the gods of yore and the neoteric gods of present-day America.
An Abundance of Katherines
Published in 2006
Having been recently dumped for the nineteenth time by a girl named Katherine, recent high school graduate and former child prodigy Colin sets off on a road trip with his best friend to try to find some new direction in life while also trying to create a mathematical formula to explain his relationships.
On the Road
Published in 2003
Follows the counterculture escapades of members of the Beat generation as they seek pleasure and meaning while traveling coast to coast. As he travels across 1950s America, aspiring writer Sal Paradise chronicles his escapades with the charismatic Dean Moriarty. Sal admires Dean's passion for experiencing as much as possible of life and his wild flights of poetic fancy.
Amy & Roger's Epic Detour
Published in 2010
After the death of her father, Amy, a high school student, and Roger, a college freshman, set out on a carefully planned road trip from California to Connecticut, but wind up taking many detours, forcing Amy to face her worst fears and come to terms with her grief and guilt.
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
An Inquiry into Values
Published in 1999
Presents a journal describing one man's journey of self-discovery and his quest for the ultimate truth of existence.
Travels with Charley
In Search of America
Published in 2002
Steinbeck records his emotions and experiences during a journey of rediscovery in his native land.