The interstate highway. This landmark enterprise of the 1950s literally changed the face of America for eternity. In 1919, Dwight D. Eisenhower needed sixty-two days to travel from Washington, D.C., to San Francisco. Now, eighty years and 42,500 miles of paved roads later, the trip can be made in less than seventy-two hours.

Divided Highways is the fascinating history behind the efforts to make cement trails across America, told through the stories of the people who dreamed up, mapped out, paved—and even tried to stop—the interstate highways. Popular historian Tom Lewis details "man's triumph over nature" in an engaging, sweeping style. Award-winning film director Ken Burns says: "He tells the story of how we get from point A to point B in America. And just as our lives should be, Lewis makes the journey more interesting and meaningful than the destination."

* Basis of the 1997 Peabody Award-winning PBS documentary.