Blue Highways

This is the one book I wanted to love, but just couldn’t. So far all the books in this class I ended up enjoying even after being warned of the dangers of Didion and Dillard or that somehow people didn’t like the brilliant Capote. But save for Capote, Trogden’s book had the best elevator-pitch, or at least the most romantic. Soul searching through the America’s less traveled roads. He even names his vehicle “Ghost Dancing,” a surefire way to my heart.

Yet, Trogden’s writing leaves me cold and the only thing Blue are my feelings after reading this book (yes, I am embarrassed I wrote that). I feel bad about this too, because the book is well-researched and he does some interesting things¬– it just takes too long to get to.

I do confess that this is the only book I didn’t finish. I just couldn’t muster the energy to. I felt like I was trapped in a road trip I didn’t want to go on anymore. Something that sounded good when we were planning it, but soon realizing that the trip may not be for you.

As a student of journalism, I appreciate the work that must have gone to craft this work, but as a fan of interesting writing this Blue Highways did nothing for me.