We all know the song “Get Your Kicks (On Route 66).” The highway used to be a key part of Americana and the American Dream, and is still present in pop culture, even if it has fallen out of popular use. Shing Yin Khor’s graphic memoir The American Dream?: A Journey on Route 66 Discovering Dinosaur Statues, Muffler Men, and the Perfect Breakfast Burrito explores Route 66 through the eyes of Khor as they travel along Route 66 with their dog, just four years after becoming an American citizen.
America is as confusing a place from the outside as from within, projecting conflicting identities, which informed Khor’s interest in Route 66. In our exclusive excerpt from the memoir, Khor takes readers down the history of Route 66, from the glory days to when it fell out of use. The art is lovely and engaging, and captures Khor’s unique voice and perspective. The way the art expands and grows with color from the 1920s to the present day is also a clever way to track how times have changed.
There are plenty of stories about the American Dream, but this is a fresh look at the idea of that dream from a new and exciting voice. Check out the pages below, and don’t miss the book when it hits stores on August 6.
(image: Zest Books)
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