Here We Are . . . on Route 66

If this doesn't inspire wanderlust, nothing will! This is a well-organized, useful guide to notable small towns and stops along Route 66, from its origin outside of Chicago to its terminus in LA. The route is documented with obvious affection for the history and Americana along the way and would be a great start to designing one's own trip!

There is a generous number of photographs, both current and historical, that make this equally appealing for armchair travelers. The variety of landscapes along the route is amazing! This would be a great gift for travelers and fans of America's motoring history and would be a great roadmap for a trip, either real or virtual.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

In Here We Are…On Route 66, Jim Hinckley certainly takes readers on A Journey Down America’s Main Street. I didn’t know what the object of this book was when I began it: was it going to be a history book, a coffee table book, or somewhere in between. Well, the pictures do give it a coffee table book feel, as well as the concise layout and writing of the book. But the topics written about in the book are what bring it beyond a coffee table read and heading into history book. I don’t know anything about Route 66 other than it’s iconography. Hinckley focuses on the towns that were made iconic by the route. Through this layout, he presents the idea that the iconography of Route 66 was made by the towns it passes in conjunction with the route itself making the towns iconic. Both go hand in hand.

“The focus is myopic and centers on neon, tailfins, and a romanticized view of American life in the 1950s”

The biggest aspect of this book that I liked is that Hinckley presents life in the towns along Route 66 as they are, rather then through a romanticized lens. In one paragraph he might be discussing the history of the area, pre-colonization. In another, the celebrities who stayed in the town. In another, the murder of innocent people, some at the hands of mobs.

The material presented in this book, through writing and photography, is a wide variety and it makes for a pretty interesting look into life along Route 66.

Don’t we really all want to get our kicks on Route 66? It’s just so iconic and endlessly fascinating to many of us, which is why I was happy to get an advance copy of this book. It is much as expected—filled with stories of many of the stops on the route and wonderful photographs. The author has dug deep into history and fully researched each stop’s history and presented us with tidbits of the kind of history that many of us enjoy. It’s a very good coverage of each location and the balance between text and illustrations is great.

I think this will have a lot of appeal to American history buffs. There’s enough here to entice you to go further if that’s what rocks your boat, and everyone else can just settle back and dream we’re riding down Route 66, eating at diners, and staying at motels with neon signs to welcome us.

"Here We Are ... on Route 66" by Jim Hinckley provides a delightful description of the history of 32 of the towns along the famous Route 66. Each of the 8 chapters in this book focuses on one of the states that Route 66 passes through: Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. Rather than a current guidebook to the Route, this book is a window into the past of each of the towns covered. Nearly every page has a colorful picture or two that celebrates the history of locations on this thoroughfare. The entries on Holbrook and Winslow (both in Arizona) were particularly nostalgic to me. (Also Santa Fe and Amarillo to a lesser degree...) I was slightly surprised that neither Chicago nor Saint Louis were covered. Though, this is reasonable since clearly each needs and has a number of dedicated books.

My only complaint is that this book did not include any maps. Though digital maps are readily available, so it can be argued that this is not a serious omission.

After reading this book, I am convinced of two things. (1) Even though I have driven pieces of Route 66 in all States except for Kansas, I need to drive the entire route in one trip. (2) While doing so, I need to listen to the audiobook version of the entertaining descriptions of each town as I approach them.

I recommend this book to people interested in Route 66, American nostalgia, and U.S. history in the past 125 years or so.

I thank the publisher and author for graciously providing a temporary electronic review copy of this work.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced review copy!

Here We are… on Route 66 is a compact guide to the national treasure that is Route 66. It is very well organized. Each chapter features a different state along the journey, starting in Illinois and ending in California. The chapters are broken down by key towns and include the well-loved attractions and amusing stops that are crucial for any trip down Route 66.

There’s a beautiful mix of both modern and vintage photography of landmarks and attractions along the way.

While I have not traveled Rt. 66 myself (yet), I look forward to checking out some of Jim Hinckley’s other publications.

Full of new and vintage photos (unhappily none with captions0 looking at select cities and towns along Route 66. The essays give historic and architectural information about each twon.

Due to download constraints, I wasn't able to review the full 100 days.  The book separates out the 100 days by season, with 25 activities for Summer, Fall, Winter & Spring.  While this book is geared towards children, a lot of the activities and learning can be done by anyone of any age!  There are recipes, outdoor activities, ways to help your community and all sorts of fun activities included. Some of the summer activities I'd most like to try are: tying knots, making smores and kayaking! There are a lot of great ways to fill the days of summer vacation in the book.  I also was able to get a sneak at some of the Fall activities as well - and my favorites of those that I checked out were: Make wax leaves, see a symphony concert, and a "day trip to another country" - which is essentially finding a neighborhood near you that might celebrate cultures different than your own.

If you have kids with adventurous spirit, I am sure they will find plenty to do within this book - I only was able to look at a portion of it, and it gave me plenty of ideas as well!

I received a free e-copy of this book from NetGalley in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. I love Route 66 and since i live in California where there is a large section of it, I am always looking for new things to see and learn about it. I absolutely loved it. Thank you.

This makes me want to pack up everything, and do the whole route. Great book for anyone who's fascinated by this route. Illustrated and written well