I enjoyed The American Dream? by Shing Yin Khor. This travel memoir has beautiful watercolor painted I’m illustrations and captures the aesthetic of Route 66 nicely. 

Khor sets out on a solo journey of all of Route 66 with just her tiny adventure dog. She does a lot of camping, which she doesn’t fully enjoy. The memoir is organized by state, which I found gave it some structure and grounding. Khor shares stories of interesting (and not so interesting) places and people she meets along the way. 

I was attracted to this graphic memoir because it is billed as an road trip story by an immigrant, so I expected more commentary on what the dichotomy of experience is from that perspective. Khor spends some time on this at the conclusion, but it is mostly a travel story. I was also thrown off by the very short epilogue. 

Overall, I’m glad I read this because of the beautiful artwork and the quirky tidbits about Route 66. If you are looking for a lighter read and enjoy illustrations, this might be one to pick up.