The Last American Road Trip follows journalist Sarah Kendzior and her family as they travel across the U.S. during a period of political upheaval, social chaos, and the pandemic. Driven by a desire to show her young children the America she fears may be vanishing, Kendzior takes them on a series of road trips to explore iconic sites, national parks, and the changing landscape of the country. As she contemplates the decline of democracy and the state of the nation, the book weaves together personal reflections with snapshots of American history and culture, offering a poignant look at a fractured nation.

Review:
While The Last American Road Trip tells a timely story, the disjointed pacing between analysis of personal relationships and scattered bits of American history doesn’t always make for the smoothest read. Still, it's a thought-provoking look at a nation ever in turmoil, seen through the eyes of a mother trying to make sense of it all for her children.

The Last American Road Trip by Sarah Kendzior ⭐⭐⭐ 1/2

Flatiron Books
Pub Date: 4-1-25

Thank you @netgalley and @flatiron_books for this eARC.

"I set out each time from the same place: my home in Missouri, a state in the center of an America that does not hold. I travel with the same people: my husband of twenty years and our two children. We started taking family road trips in 2016, when I felt compelled to show our children the entire United States, in the event of its demise."

Without having read Sarah Kendzior before, the title and description of the book grabbed my attention - "part memoir, party history, and wholly unique".

Just 2.5 weeks from the 2024 US presidential election, I wish I could experience reading this book for the first time - both before and after the election.

Stories of the author's family road trips across America between 2016-2024 are interwoven with historical facts about Mark Twain, Route 66, National Parks, and Caves.

I was hoping for more interaction with others in these stories - a glimpse of the goodness of people met while traveling across the country. Instead, I clung to the author's personal feelings and reflections about her own family, especially her two children and the country she wants for them and their future.

"This is a book about time as much as place and the fragile nature of both. In an era when empathy is demonized, my love for America has come to feel like defiance."

"I still do not take these sights for granted. I keep waiting for a moment when the landscape of America will seem less remarkable, but it has not come. Maybe it is because I travel with children, and when you have children, you view the world through fresh eyes."

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