What do you think?
Rate this book
Highway 50: Ain't That America!
Highway 50 is one of the country’s most historic but under-appreciated highways, full of quintessentially American places that have held fast to a spirit of individuality lost to “progress” elsewhere.
Author James Lilliefors journeyed on this unique road and, in Highway 50 , chronicles some of the remarkable people who live alongside it – from the colorful mayor of Dodge City, Kansas, to the woman who created one of the world’s great space museums to a Native American couple in Utah who live on their own terms to the man who paints Mail Pouch Tobacco advertisements on barns. Highway 50 “offers vicarious adventure to the house-bound as well as a sense of wonder at what lies ahead." — Publishers Weekly
The central-most of America’s coast-to-coast roads, Highway 50 begins in Maryland and ends three thousand miles away in California. More than any other American road, it tells the tale of the country’s westward expansion, following a route mapped by George Washington in the East, pioneer trails in the Midwest and gold-rush roads in the West. But Route 50 has often been overlooked, taking a back seat to the better-known Highway 40 and Route 66.
This lively travelogue mixes local lore with history as it “navigates the very toughest part of the trip to journey beyond a book-writing notion and put places in our imagination,” — The New York Times
Author James Lilliefors journeyed on this unique road and, in Highway 50 , chronicles some of the remarkable people who live alongside it – from the colorful mayor of Dodge City, Kansas, to the woman who created one of the world’s great space museums to a Native American couple in Utah who live on their own terms to the man who paints Mail Pouch Tobacco advertisements on barns. Highway 50 “offers vicarious adventure to the house-bound as well as a sense of wonder at what lies ahead." — Publishers Weekly
The central-most of America’s coast-to-coast roads, Highway 50 begins in Maryland and ends three thousand miles away in California. More than any other American road, it tells the tale of the country’s westward expansion, following a route mapped by George Washington in the East, pioneer trails in the Midwest and gold-rush roads in the West. But Route 50 has often been overlooked, taking a back seat to the better-known Highway 40 and Route 66.
This lively travelogue mixes local lore with history as it “navigates the very toughest part of the trip to journey beyond a book-writing notion and put places in our imagination,” — The New York Times
240 pages, Hardcover
First published April 27, 1993
24 people want to read
About the author
James Lilliefors
20 books45 followersJAMES LILLIEFORS is a journalist and novelist who grew up in the Washington, D.C. area. His novels include THE PSALMIST and THE TEMPEST and the geopolitical thrillers THE CHILDREN'S GAME (as Max Karpov) THE LEVIATHAN EFFECT and VIRAL.
For Max Karpov, see https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...
For Max Karpov, see https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 23, 2014
Like so many travel books, the beginning of the journey is described in great detail and then the details become more general and less frequent as the book progresses. But I did enjoy this particular journey because he didn't have any grand expectations, he just wanted to discover this road and it's history in the wake of the slow decline instigated by the popularity of the Interstate Highway system. It's a nice read.
December 21, 2019
I live in Emporia, KS. About four blocks north of my house, I-35 runs north to south from Canada to Mexico. Two blocks south of my house runs Highway 50, going from coast to coast. I've always loved my home, and the knowledge that I can reach literally anywhere in the country if only I have the courage to get in the car and go.
I saw this book at my library, and it looked like such an old person book but also something I would love. I have read almost all of William Least Heat-Moon's books and devoured Steinbeck's "Travels with Charley" and have come to enjoy the casual travel book, segmented into small sections and stories from the road. This book fit in well with the above-mentioned travel tomes. No chapter was longer than three pages and each location told a story about middle-class America and life on the central-most cross-continental highway (that happens to bypass major cities, making it "the loneliest road in America"). The ending was terribly abrupt, but it was neat to read a book that took place thirty years back and see how lessons from the road still apply to America today.
I saw this book at my library, and it looked like such an old person book but also something I would love. I have read almost all of William Least Heat-Moon's books and devoured Steinbeck's "Travels with Charley" and have come to enjoy the casual travel book, segmented into small sections and stories from the road. This book fit in well with the above-mentioned travel tomes. No chapter was longer than three pages and each location told a story about middle-class America and life on the central-most cross-continental highway (that happens to bypass major cities, making it "the loneliest road in America"). The ending was terribly abrupt, but it was neat to read a book that took place thirty years back and see how lessons from the road still apply to America today.
November 12, 2020
I just finished the book and I'm left wondering whether the author actually enjoyed the trip. On the one hand he seemed engaged and yet not as engaged as I would think taking on such a life-changing trip. He captured his interactions dispassionately, which might have been intentional, but that left the story-telling flat. Nevertheless, seeing a view of Americans going about their lives is always a welcome gift. If he did this trip again now, I wonder how it might be different. The map was a great addition; I referred to it many times while reading. Too bad there weren't more pictures.
September 6, 2025
Years ago, Tom Brokaw did a special on Highway 50, The backbone of America. I live close to Sacramento and I often see the sign: Ocean City, MD 1073. Driving that route has been on my bucket list for a long time and Jim Lilliefors book has sure moved this journey up to the top five on my list!
May 20, 2020
Solid read although it tailed off at the end, like the trip. I enjoyed the author's impressions of various areas of the country.
September 30, 2022
A fun read for those who like these kind of travel writings.
December 6, 2024
I'm not sure how Lillifors remembered all those conversations unless he has an eidetic memory, Nevertheless, the book is very readable.
May 21, 2010
I probably wouldn't have read this book if I wasn't planning on making the trip on 50 this summer, but it was an easy and interesting read (and has me looking forward to stopping in Dodge City). I don't read much travel writing, so I'm not sure how It might compare to other cross-country roadtrip books.
June 9, 2012
Written 30 years ago, interesting perspective about a highway I didn't know about.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews