Route 66: The Writing of an American Icon
How the "Main Street of America" inspired creatives like Kerouac, Steinbeck and more
Route 66 in Amboy, California (2012) by Dietmar RabichAmerican Writers Museum
As Route 66 approaches its centennial, it is remembered not only for where it leads, but also for what it represents: adventure, perseverance, and the pursuit of the American Dream.
Nation of Writers - Many Writers, Many Forms wall (2017) by American Writers MuseumAmerican Writers Museum
Located just a short walk from Route 66’s starting point, the American Writers Museum offers an introduction to the road’s cultural and literary legacy. Keep reading to explore how writers have used the road to discuss migration, hope, hardship, and mobility.
John Steinbeck
Through his writing, Steinbeck conveyed the emotional weight of the journeys his characters embarked on, reflecting the realities of traveling along Route 66. His work influenced the way that many Americans came to imagine travel and national identity.
The Grapes of Wrath
The Grapes of Wrath (1939) follows the Joad family as they migrate west during the Dust Bowl, moving along Route 66 in search of work and survival. Steinbeck's novel linked the highway to stories of resilience and collective struggle, giving rise to the term "Mother Road."
Jack Kerouac
As a member of the Beat Generation, a loose collaborative of artists and writers who rejected the mainstream in favor of the experimental and spiritual, Kerouac's work presented an innovative way of seeing, interacting with, and writing about the world.
On The Road
Centered on a series of restless cross-country journeys, On The Road (1957) captures the feeling of postwar freedom and movement. Its portrayal of travel as a form of self-discovery helped shape the mythology of American road culture that came to surround Route 66.
The scroll
Kerouac typed the original manuscript of On The Road as one continuous scroll, taping sheets of paper together in order to avoid page breaks and emphasize the stream-of-consciousness narration. The digitized scroll is on view at the American Writers Museum.
Route 66 near Cuervo, New Mexico (2015) by Ammodramus on Wikimedia CommonsAmerican Writers Museum
Considering different experiences of the road
While these books exemplify themes of resilience and freedom along Route 66, the road can also represent confusion, hardship, and discrimination for some travelers. Other works explore these ideas through unique formats like graphic novels, films, and songs.
Shing Yin Khor
Khor is a Malaysian-American writer and cartoon artist. In their own words, they "create comics and illustrations at the intersection of race, gender, immigrant stories, and queerness, with a deep interest in nostalgic Americana."
The American Dream?
Khor's graphic memoir documenting a road trip along Route 66 entitled The American Dream? (2019) blends travel narrative with illustrated encounters. Khor uses the journey to interrogate the promises associated with the American Dream while exploring their own identities.
Rocky hill at Route 66 State Park (2013) by Yinan ChenAmerican Writers Museum
Like Khor, some writers use their work to discuss the feelings of doubt that traveling along Route 66 brings up for them. Others tell stories that center historical experiences with danger, violence, and discrimination while on the road.
Green Book (2018) by Universal PicturesAmerican Writers Museum
Green Book
The 2018 biographical drama/comedy Green Book tells the real-life story of Don Shirley, a Black pianist, and Tony Lip, his white driver, as they embark on a concert tour across the United States in 1962. Tony is shocked by the mistreatment that Don faces during their travels.
The title of the film is pulled from The Negro Motorist Green-Book, a guide for Black travelers listing establishments that were safe for them under Jim Crow segregation laws. Such a guidebook was necessary due to the prevalence of racist policies and attitudes.
Jim Crow in Durham, North Carolina (1940) by Jack DelanoAmerican Writers Museum
It's important to remember that in its heyday, Route 66 functioned differently for people based on their identities. Not everyone had the same opportunities or freedoms while traveling and in American society on a broader scale. Click here to read the Green Book screenplay.
Woody Guthrie
Like filmmakers, many songwriters have attempted to capture the essence of Route 66 in their music. The lyrics of Woody Guthrie's "Will Rogers Highway" also capture the perpetual uncertainty and instability of life along the road.
Route 66 Historic Back Country Byway (2025) by Matthew Driscoll (photographer)American Writers Museum
Will Rogers Highway
Ten thousand lost families I count every day
Caught under my bridges and under my trees;
Can you make up a joke that'll win them a job
From New Yorker town down to Lost Angeles?
…
Did ya tickle Hoover enough to build us all houses
From New Yorker town down to Lost Angeles?
Route 66 State Park (2013) by Yinan ChenAmerican Writers Museum
Through song, Guthrie portrayed the realities of life on the road: difficulty finding work and housing, feeling lost, and questioning national leadership. Guthrie was an advocate of progressive causes, and he used music to speak out against forces like censorship, fascism, and war.
Woody Guthrie Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma (2017) by Group de BesanezAmerican Writers Museum
The Woody Guthrie Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma—located along historic Route 66—celebrates the folk musician's contributions to American culture, displaying his instruments and journals. It also embodies Guthrie's passion for social progress through programming and community outreach.
Roy's Cafe on Route 66 (2014) by Bob WickAmerican Writers Museum
Of all the values that Route 66 represents, the most consistent is, ironically, change. Over the last hundred years, millions of Americans have traveled the road in search of something new.
Vista on U.S. 66 (1948) by E. L. PerryAmerican Writers Museum
Route 66 has endured because its stories have been told and retold across generations and mediums. Rather than telling a single, definitive story, it serves as a shared framework for understanding movement, progress, and the experience of passing through America.
Route 66 in Holbrook, Arizona (1998) by Nikater on Wikimedia CommonsAmerican Writers Museum
Through literature and media, Route 66 becomes a place where personal lives intersect with larger forces. It is remembered less as a line on a map and more as a collection of lived experiences.
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