Interstate 69: The Unfinished History of the Last Great American Highway

Description

Interstate 69 is an enlightening journey through the heart of America. With this epic tale of one vast and controversial road project, Matt Dellinger brings to life the country's complex political, social, and economic landscape. 

The 1,400-mile extension of I-69 south from Indianapolis, if completed, will connect Canada to Mexico through Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas. This so-called NAFTA highway has been in development for two decades, and while segments are under construction today, others may never be built. Eagerly anticipated by many as an economic godsend, I-69 has also been opposed by environmentalists, farmers, ranchers, anarchists, and others who question both the wisdom of building more highways and the merits of globalization. 

Part history, part travelogue, Interstate 69 reveals the surprising story of how this extraordinary undertaking began, introduces us to the array of individuals who have worked tirelessly for years to build the road--or to stop it--and guides us through the many places the highway would transform forever: from sprawling cities like Indianapolis, Houston, and Memphis to the small rural towns of the Midwestern rust belt, the Mississippi Delta, and south Texas. 

This book vividly illustrates that the story of America is indeed the story of transportation--and that story continues. In an era when bridges fall, levies fail, and states lease their toll roads to foreign-owned corporations, Americans are realizing the central importance of infrastructure, how it affects our standard of living and quality of life and how it determines which places prosper and which places fade.

Matt Dellinger connects these dots with an absorbingly human, on-the-ground examination of our country's struggle with development. Interstate 69 captures the hopes, dreams, and fears surrounding what we build and what we leave behind.

Reviews

Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2010-09-04
Summary: "Truth Be Tolled"

Having produced the award-winning documentary "Truth Be Tolled" ([...]), Matt does an excellent job of peeling back the intricate layers of how the Trans-Texas Corridor (TTC) came into very existence. The issues are all too real and chilling. In the very words of Nitro himself, "It's either toll roads, slow roads, or no roads." A must read for anyone that doubts the privatization of our public infrastructure and paving over of America.

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Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2010-09-03
Summary: "Excellent, Well Researched"

"Where we're going, we don't need roads." - Doctor Emmett Brown

Having spent nearly a decade living in Bloomington I was already well-versed in the Hoosier portion of the Interstate 69 story...or so I thought. It turns out I didn't know the half of it (quite literally).

"Interstate 69" is a compelling, highly informative tour of the (proposed) route for the so-called NAFTA highway. It works as both history and cultural anthropology, and prompts a lot of smart questions about the direction of our transportation systems and federal/state funding priorities.

If that sounds like a dry, policy-heavy tome, it shouldn't. The author uses the small, human stories of the individuals and (often floundering) communities along the route to paint the larger picture. It's highly engaging reading that fans of relevant, well-crafted non-fiction are sure to appreciate.

(Full disclosure: Yes, I am related to the author. No, I would not change a word if this review were that not the case.)

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Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2010-08-29
Summary: "Well Researched, Well Written and Well Balanced"

The book does a fantastic job of capturing the flavor, personalities, and aspirations of the groups and communities that have been part of the Interstate 69 saga.

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Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2010-08-28
Summary: "well written, unbiased, historically accurate"

Interstate 69 is one of the finest works of historical non-fiction that I have read in many years. Not only does Dellinger offer an accurate and unbiased account of the history of I-69, he also skillfully paints a larger picture of American politics, geography, & anthropology. Dellinger captivates with his succinct, narrative style. I highly recommend this book as it is as educational as it is entertaining.