graphic nonfiction- (lightish) brown-skinned Malaysian-American nonbinary/genderqueer illustrator (whom strangers assume is female and it's often safer to let them think that, it's only barely mentioned on the book jacket so most readers likely wouldn't even think about it either) drives with their small dog Bug from Los Angeles to Chicago along historic Route 66 in 2016 (pre-election). They pass through Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, and Illinois, but don't quite find the sense of self they're looking for, though it is a memorable journey.

I always enjoy Khor's illustrations and skill in presenting their stories, however, this is one of those journeys that feel a little empty/unsatisfying. But it is interesting to see a picture of America right before the Trump Presidency, when it was relatively safer for a brown person to travel through certain areas alone. ( )

A zine-y travelogue with some glimmers of interesting ideas and themes. The result is reasonably entertaining but not memorable. ( )

This is a terrific little graphic memoir, of an artist fulfilling her dream of travelling the iconic Route 66 (a journey I, like many I'm sure, have often dreamed of making as well). She takes off from California in her tiny car with her tiny dog, to Find America. Along the way, she reflects on the history and representation of America's own culture and identity, and how it echoes her own journey as an immigrant, coming into her own as an American. It takes place just as Trump's America is evolving, and the artist is acutely aware, as a brown woman, that things are starting to shift. It was a great time to read this book too, as travel feels like a dream and an aspiration, and the solo road trip, interacting with few besides others on the same quest, feels like the most realistic type of travel right now. Excellent diversion. ( )

adult/teen graphic memoir (travelogue, author is incidentally a Malaysian-American immigrant and queer)
glimpses of historic route 66 portrayed in watercolor and pencil/ink. Not that revealing (of either the author or the country) but it is an enjoyable little roadtrip journal with some interactions with local folk and some reflections on friends/what home means.

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Beautiful water color captures known (Natl Parks) and funky (Motel Art).

Artist ponders their place as marginalized (queer, Asian) and belonging (naturalized citizen).

A++ scrappy dog enjoying adventure along the way. ( )

I picked this up for my 12 year old daughter, who was possibly taking a road trip with her mom. I decided to peek into it, and was delighted by what a found! A sweet, engaging graphic 'memoir' by a woman who immigrated here from Malaysia! Great energy in this work, both in the illustrations and in the text! It was actually FUN to read!

Route 66! "You know Steinbeck called it the Mother Road?" (I didn't!) I've traveled most of this road (though it had been swallowed up by Interstate 40 by the time I got to it!) and still, I learned a lot about it from this book! And I liked the author's search for herself, the American Dream, and the concept of home. Just a cool, cool book!

Now the epilogue, wow! The author writes that this trip took place 6 months before Trump's 'election'. Could this same trip be taken now, in the hate filled atmosphere that 45 has stoked and manipulated? Could a "brown girl" drive Route 66 "fearlessly"? Sad to say, the simple answer is no. 45 and his mindless automatons have made fear and hate the current American Dream. It's more like Route 666 under this regime... ( )

A Malaysian American woman road trips from California to Chicago on old Route 66. They say they were inspired to undertake the journey by John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, but since they are accompanied by Bug, the Tiny Adventure Dog, and do a lot of camping, I was surprised there was no mention of Travels with Charley: In Search of America.

Passably amusing and informative anecdotes from a unique perspective, but a little on the light side, with stabs at deeper meaning not really finding the mark. ( )