I recently read The American Dream?: A Journey on Route 66 by Shing Yin Khor (thank you to Netgalley and Zest Books for providing me with an advanced reader copy!). It’s an adorable graphic novel detailing the journey of an American Immigrant and her dog along the historic Route 66, from Santa Monica to Chicago. In today’s world, where there seems to be such animosity between people in the United States, a book like this is good for everybody to read.
In The American Dream?, Shing details her travels along Route 66 with her dog Bug, where she camps out in her car for most of the trip. She tells about the sites she encounters along the way and her feelings about them. The book has a way of immersing you in her journey, which I just loved.
The Sights. I enjoyed reading about all the sights she saw along her journey. I’ve driven parts of Route 66 without knowing it before, as I’ve lived in Los Angeles and have traveled through the Southwestern United States quite a bit, but I don’t always stop to see all the little places along the way. There are many historic and touristy places off the side of the road, and Shing visits many of them. She talks to some of the people she meets along the way or explains some of the history. It was quite interesting (and not all of the history is happy, either).
The Illustrations. The illustrations in The American Dream? are adorable. One of the main things I like about this book is how it draws you into the journey with her. A written description of the places she visits wouldn’t be the same as her visuals. They’re not photographs (we could always google those) but they’re detailed enough to make you feel like you’re there on the journey with Shing (and her dog).
The Immigrant Perspective. Shing’s perspective as an immigrant separates this book from other travel memoirs or guides. She sees things that I would never have thought of while making her journey. As an example, she saw a sign that said “American Owned” and it seemed like code for racism to her. My initial thoughts to reading the sign was “What? Is there a problem with foreign corporations buying up tourist stops along Route 66 or something?” From her perspective, she was seeing that as code for the shop owners to say “we’re not immigrants.” Without being able to stop and talk to the owners, we can’t tell whether their intention was racist or not, but I can see how someone might take it that way.
I enjoyed reading The American Dream?, and thought it was an adorable, easy to read graphic novel. It’s appropriate for both Upper Middle Grade readers and Young Adults. I’d recommend this book for several different reasons. Not only is it an interesting travel book, but it also allows you to see the United States from an immigrant’s perspective. We can always use more books that can help us see the world through someone else’s eyes.