The Routes of Man: How Roads Are Changing the World and the Way We Live Today

I thoroughly enjoyed it; its well written and written like a George Orwell essay; clear as a window pane, letting the people speak without much authorial input; delightful. Ends up being very informative about China drivers, African truck drivers, Palestinian & Israeli army road issues etc.

Very interesting read by one of my favorite authors. If youre an armchair traveler or road trip enthusiast, its worth checking out this book.

Second book Ive read from this author, 1st Coyotes, I liked, this was a hard read and with few exceptions not enjoyable.

His previous work was outstanding and I wish that was the case here. Instead we have an author ‘mailing’ it in on the fame of a previous novel

I am passing this along for your listening pleasure: [..] She is generally positive and does mention specifically the male dominated nature of transportation. She reviews the variety of international aspects of human mobility which the author discusses at length.

Picked this up for a recent plane flight to Africa, thinking it would give me plenty to read on the way over. Unfortunately, I screwed up - as I read the entire book on one flight, and was stuck with nothing but cheesy movies and in flight magazines for the second flight. Bad for me, but good for my review of the book. I loved it. Conover follows several roads throughout the world, and highlights the impact that these roads are having on the people. He typically withholds judgment and just tells the story, but at times it is clear that he is both thrilled by and challenged by the prospect of these roads. They open up new markets, allow people to buy and sell goods, and generally integrate people better into the capitalist, western culture. However, this is usually at some expense of their native culture - whether it is people in northern India, who for centuries have had to use a frozen river to access lands outside their own, or the burgeoning car culture of China - both are challenging what it means to traditionally live in those areas. Overall, I was engaged and excited at many points. I found myself looking at roads in my area of Africa and imagining the impact theyve had, as well as the roads back home. This book not only was an enjoyable read, it told a story that bears further thought and introspection.

Ted Conover is the ideal travel companion. He seems equally comfortable standing in a swanky apartment in the Upper East Side, and tramping through the rain forest of Peru. In this book he takes us to places wed otherwise never see: One day were riding a mahogany raft down the Mother of God River in Peru, another day were being herded through a dusty check-point in Ramallah. We get to know people wed never otherwise meet: an African truck driver, teenagers from a remote Himalayan village, and an ambulance crew in Lagos, Nigeria. Roads connect these people. So does Conovers unerring eye for detail, and his pitch-perfect ear for language. This book is more than just an adventure: its an invitation to understand each other and to know the world in which we live.

Ted Conover is right about one thing, the emergence of roads in places where they previously does not exist is changing our global environment, both natural and business. What he does not do is take a stand on whether or not this is a good thing, bad thing or a mixed blessing. We are given a smattering of anecdotes regarding how roads are impacting places around the globe where they previously had no impact. We are not told if this is really anything good, bad or other wise. For example, he tells us the story of mahogany export in the jungles of Peru. We hear a very detailed blow by blow description of the trip but no real description of how the road is impacting or bettering the world. The same holds true for the descriptions of roads in China and India. They all have colorful stories but dont really give any solid examples or prove a theme. All in all it is a weak work because it tries to tell several stories but ends up telling none.

As a highway engineer, specializing in traffic operations, my incentive for reading this book was to see roads from a different perspective. I picked the book up at a public signing by the author and had the chance to hear him speak about his experiences. I find it interesting to read about cultures that are decades behind the states when it comes to sprawl and mobility; that are envious of the glorified benefits of the mobility that we have enjoyed for decades, while ignoring the socio-economic consequences. You want to travel with Mr. Conover and look his companions in the eye and ask if they really know what they are getting themselves into. Overall, a good read.

I picked up this book after reading a review in, I think, the Economist. This is a wonderful book and well written. Roads are the unifying theme and Conover retells the varied ancounters which he had travelling far flung places. What makes this book outstanding is not only the writing and the experience but that Conover manages to be humble and to appreciate all the people whom he meets. Even though he travels far and wide, he never comes over as the self centered adventurer. he retains a quiet, held back tone, describing trips with car clubs in China, travels with illegal loggers in Peru or the experience of Palestinians in their homeland with compassion, interest and without passing judgement. Roads, like Megacities, are destined to be the future of humankind and he captures this very well. He also captures the attraction of the road excellently. The only misgiving which I have is that this is basically a collection of excellently written travelogues and description, but he fails at really coming up with an overarching theme or narrative. It never becomes clear why he actaully chose those places and how he really puts them into a larger context.