Looking for America on the New Jersey Turnpike

One of the quintessential things that defines New Jersey is the Jersey Turnpike. It is the life-line that connects North and South Jersey and provides major access to New York City and Newark International Airport. Rest stops on the turnpike pay tribute to famous New Jerseyans who have shaped all aspects of American life. Please join us as Angus Gillespie explores the iconography of this historic thoroughfare in discussion of his book Looking for America on the New Jersey Turnpike. 

Angus Kress Gillespie received his B.A. in American Studies from Yale University and his Ph.D. in American Civilization from the University of Pennsylvania. Much of Gillespie’s research focuses on the cultural implications of large-scale civil engineering works. He has written about highways, skyscrapers, and (most recently) tunnels. His book Twin Towers: The Life of New York City’s World Trade Center (Rutgers University Press, 1999) was a New York Times bestseller.