William McKeen has accomplished what would seem to be an almost impossible task: combining the lure of a road trip, an encyclopaedic knowledge of rock 'n roll history and a chance to delve deeper into his relationship with his son without turning those disparate elements into a chronicle that is weepy, academic or melodramatic. What arises instead on these pages will satisfy both the rock historians and the road trippers out there -- all of whom will want to fire up the car and stoke up the cooler once they read this book.

McKeen and his son, Graham, who grew up apart from his journalism professor father, take this trip through the literal and figurative heart of America, off the beaten path and down the back alleys of music and kitsch. Along they way, they rediscover America's cultural heritage and their own place in each others' lives. McKeen has a tremendous sense of humor, as dry as some of the stretches of highway he traveled. The ghosts of Dylan, Handy, Holly and Robert Johnson haunt this book and the drive south along a legendary stretch of pavement.

Is there gas in the car? Yes, there's gas in the car.

"Highway 61" proves you don't need a ticket, or wheels, to go on an adventure. Just kick back your slippers, pour some gin into your black tea and sink your teeth into this gripping father-son journey. It will move you like a classic rock 'n' roll recording. Heck, it could stand right next to the other pop treat with the same name: Bob Dylan's masterpiece album.

The extraordinary true story about a scrupulous midwestern entrepreneur who built a small local railroad into a strong regional system -- known as "The Vandalia" -- and resisted repeated efforts to be acquired for nearly 30 years or until he was ready to relinquish the reins. Belongs on the bookshelf of anyone interested in Indiana or Illinois history or the history of the Pennsylvania Railroad. A highly readable and entertainingly-written research masterpiece addressing an area of corporate history not often broached. Required exploration of corporate minutes, court files and private correspondence. "A railroad's history, telling it through the life of the man who made it what it was." Outstanding photos and diagrams. A keeper.

This book centers on the history of railroad development and expansion in Indiana and Illinois at the turn of the century as well as the lives and times of the movers and shakers that propelled this activity. I particularly enjoyed reading about where and why certain rail lines were built and then why some of them otlived their usefulness. It is interesting to see what exists in todays world and then read about how it started and occurred during the glory years of railroad construction in the Midwest. The insights on personalities, motivations and strategies of people like Wm. Riley McKeen, his supporters (Chauncey Rose) and detractors (Samuel Ives) were also extremely enlightening and entertaining. I grew up in Illinois and Indiana and always wanted to know more about the history of the Pennsylvania RR "Lines West". (Most PRR history books discuss the eastern portion of the railroad.) This book explains much about "Lines West" in an informative and entertaining fashion.

The whole sweeping saga of rock and roll is here in one book. This book will endure as the best way to tell the history of rock and roll -- in the words of the people who played it, produced it, sold it and studied it.

OK, so we all know a lot about rock n roll, right? But when you read William McKeen's anthology of great rock writing, you realize that you have only scratched the surface. This book, in a word, rocks. McKeen clearly had a tough assignment: track down the best writing about rock n roll, and use those writings to define the elusive beast that is rock music. He succeeds on both accounts. Sure, there are the expected authors -- Lester Bangs, Peter Guralnick, Greil Marcus, Charlie Gillett, and Robert Palmer -- but also unexpected gems and defining lyrics from Patti Smith, Tom Wolfe, Don DeLillo and Terry Southern. Each section of the book illustrates a facet of rock n roll, and the usually bite-size chunks of writings make it easy to pick this book up anytime and blow through a couple of dozen pages without knowing time has passed. I guess my favorite aspect of the book, however, is that it touches a place deep inside of us that music also touches. Two stories stand our for me in this regard: Alan Lomax's account of his visit with blues legend Robert Johnson's mother, who relates her son's dying moments in stunning vividness (the dying Johnson, allegedly the victim of a lover's poison, gives his devil-cursed guitar to his mother and tells her to hang it on the wall "cause I done pass all that by." He dies while she was hanging it on the wall.) The final moment of goosebumps comes in the book's ultimate selection, the legendary producer Phil Spector's induction speech for the late Doc Pomus, who wrote "Save the Last Dance for Me," among other early rock gems. The writing in this book is stunning. The arrangement of chapters and selections by McKeen, a University of Florida journalism professor, borders on the genius also. For anyone who ever had a melody stuck in their head, who ever slam danced at their first punk concert, who ever saw Duane Allman play slide guitar, who ever jammed with their buddies in a miniwarehouse till dawn, or who ever just simply turned on a car radio, this book is indispensible.

I am 11. I think I read this book when I was 9. I think it is a great book. It has eveything there is to know about the Beatles.

The moment I picked this work up, it was difficult to put down. A factual, fascinating look into Bob Dylan's life and work, including statistical facts regarding the artist's frantic appearance history. If your looking for long drawn out philosophical opinions of Professor Dylan's work, this is not the book for you. I found it to be refreshingly factual. One conclusion I drew from the author is that he profoundly admirers the subject and his work, as I do. I highly recommend this book and thank the author for writing it.