American Road Trip Novels Expand Beyond White Protagonists, Exploring Diverse Identities
The traditional narrative of the 'Great American Road Trip' novel, historically dominated by white protagonists, is undergoing a significant transformation. Contemporary authors are increasingly using the road trip format to explore themes of identity, belonging, and the immigrant experience from the perspectives of people of color. For instance, Matt Ruff's 'Lovecraft Country' features a 1950s Black-American family on a road trip confronting both supernatural threats and real-life racial prejudice. Similarly, Valeria Luiselli's 'Lost Children Archive' uses a road trip to comment on immigration and 21st-century America through the lens of a Mexican-born author. Shing Yin Khor's graphic memoir, 'The American Dream?: A Journey on Route 66,' juxtaposes the kitsch of Americana with her reflections on belonging as a recent Asian-American immigrant. These works highlight how elements of identity, such as ethnicity and gender, profoundly impact travel experiences, turning what might be a liberating adventure for ...
