The Book That Defined Route 66
This week’s Roadside Reads and Reels featured book is Route 66: The Mother Road by Michael Wallis. I picked it up not long after it was released in 1990. At the time, I was working as an over-the-road truck driver, crisscrossing the country and catching glimpses of many of the places in its pages — just not up close.
When you’re driving a semi, you’re on a schedule. Even if you want to stop, parking isn’t always easy. So you end up seeing much of America through the windshield.
A Personal Connection to the Mother Road
I had bought my first camera — a Minolta X-700 — around 1988, hoping to start photographing the old diners, gas stations, and motels I passed along the way. But life had other plans, and I didn’t get serious about documenting roadside Americana until years later. Still, this book stuck with me. Even before I started taking pictures, The Mother Road helped me appreciate how much history and character were waiting to be rediscovered.
Michael Wallis’ Approach
Michael Wallis captures that spirit better than anyone. The book isn’t just about Route 66. It’s about the people who lived and worked along it, the travelers who passed through, and the places that still hold tight to their stories. From Chicago to Santa Monica, Wallis takes you on a journey that feels personal and authentic. He doesn’t just list facts. Instead, he shows you what it felt like to be there.
More than nostalgia
What makes this book special is its heart. Wallis spent time on the road, talking to people, listening to their stories, and bringing them to life on the page. He also doesn’t shy away from the hard parts — the decline of small towns after the interstates came through, the businesses that faded away. However, the tone remains hopeful. This is a celebration of the road and of the people who kept its spirit alive.
Safe travels, RJ
Route 66: The Mother Road by Michael Wallis is available on Amazon. other books by Michael Wallis include: The Lincoln Highway and Pretty Boy: The Life and Times of Charles Arthur Floyd
You might also enjoy: Blue Highways by William Least Heat-Moon, The American Drive-In by Michael Karl Witzel, Roadside America, by John Margolies.
