The Forgotten People of the Blue Highways Traveling along the byways of the Blue Highways road maps, William Least Heat Moon discovers the forgotten people of America in Blue Highways. At first his journey seems to be motivated by anger and disillusionment. But when readers look deeper into the story, they see that Least Heat Moon focuses attention on how to “get out of a world that one realized was impersonal and materialistic” (Lyons 63). Avoiding large cities, he focuses his attention on forgotten civilizations. His ability to convey feelings through storytelling does not commercialize people or stories. According to one critic, “Least Heat Moon has the judgment to step aside and let them tell their often extraordinary stories in their own words” (Perrin, 858). Charting his path, Least Heat Moon comes full circle from his hometown of Columbia Missouri to Othello, New Jersey and back. Feeling like his life is going nowhere, Least Heat Moon begins his journey across the middle of America....