Sinclair Lewis
Free Air
"Free Air" by Sinclair Lewis is a novel written in 1919. Claire Boltwood embarks on an early automobile journey from New York City to the Pacific Northwest, where she encounters a working-class young man who challenges her privileged worldview. This pioneering road trip novel champions the democratic freedom of automobile travel while contrasting snobbish elitists with down-to-earth characters. Lewis's egalitarian vision explores class tensions and personal transformation on the open road, anticipating the American road novel tradition.