The Forgotten People of the Blue HighwaysTraveling the back roads of the blue highways of road maps, William Least Heat Moon discovers the forgotten people of America in Blue Highways. At first, his journey seems motivated by anger and disillusionment. But when readers dig deeper into the story, they see that Least Heat Moon focuses attention on how to "escape from a world that he realized was impersonal and materialistic" (Lyons 63). By avoiding big cities, he focuses his attention on forgotten civilizations. His ability to convey feelings through his storytelling does not commercialize people or stories. According to one critic, “Least Heat Moon has the judgment to step aside and let them tell their own, often remarkable, stories in their own words” (Perrin, 858). Tracing its route, Least Heat Moon comes full circle from its hometown of Columbia Missouri to Othello, New Jersey, and back. Feeling like her life is going nowhere, Least Heat Moon begins her journey to the middle of America. Throughout the novel,...