My Book Tour Information

Cities, dates, and venues for The Last American Road Trip!

My new book, The Last American Road Trip, comes out April 1 — and I’m going on tour! I will be talking with guest hosts, taking questions from the audience, and signing and personalizing copies of my books.

Tours are nerve-wracking, but meeting my readers has been a highlight of my life and career. It’s exciting to get to see folks face to face and I hope you all can make it! I’m grateful for the independent bookstores that make this tour possible.

Here are the dates, venues, and information.

April 1: St. Louis. Hi-Pointe Theatre at 7:00 PM. Sponsored by Left Bank Books. In conversation with Jason Rosenbaum of St. Louis Public Radio. More information on the Left Bank Books website.

April 7: Seattle. The Elliott Bay Book Company at 7:00 PM. In conversation with Kenny Mayne. Event info here.

April 8: Portland. Powell’s City of Books at 7:00 PM. In conversation with Omar El Akkad, author of the recent bestseller One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This. Event info here.

April 9: San Francisco. The Commonwealth Club at 6:00 PM. In conversation with KQED’s Rachael Myrow. Event info here.

April 15: Austin. BookPeople at Austin Public Library at 7:00 PM. In conversation with Jessica Goudeau. Event info here.

April 16: Tulsa. Magic City Books at 7:00 PM. In conversation with Tim Landes. Event info here.

April 24: Tempe. Changing Hands Bookstore at 7:00 PM. Moderator TBD. Event info here.

April 26: Los Angeles. LA Times Festival of Books. 1:30 PM panel “Write to Remember: Memoir as Witness in Times of Turmoil”. LA Times Book Festival Information here.

May 6: Montgomery. The NewSouth Bookstore at 5:30 PM. In conversation with Dr. Lee Farrow. Event info here.

If you don’t see your city on here, that doesn’t mean I won’t come eventually. In the past, I’ve done book festivals and other events later in the year. There are also places in the works that aren’t nailed down yet. But these cities are your best bet for now.

If you’d like a signed copy and can’t make it in person, Left Bank Books in St. Louis carries them. You can get a signed copy of The Last American Road Trip here.

Waiting for a book to be published is a lot like being in the ninth month of pregnancy — overwhelming feelings of gratitude, fear, and wanting the damn thing out already! I wrote most of The Last American Road Trip in 2023. I’m glad I wrote it when I did, because I preserved in prose an America that has already vanished — not in the sense of places and people, but in how chaos and trauma alters memory.

In 2016, I became worried that the US would be destroyed through political corruption and climate catastrophe — and I wanted to show my children as much as I could before that happened. It was a proactive move that was also very enjoyable. We traveled to 38 states, dozens of national and state parks, and countless historic sites and bizarre attractions. I’m glad to have captured those early days of motherhood on the road with two curious children, wondering about this strange and beautiful land.

The Last American Road Trip is a travelogue, a memoir, a history, and a parenting guide for the political apocalypse.

We began traveling when my children were six and nine. Now they are 14 and 17 and many of my worst fears are coming true. The Trump administration is out to destroy many of the places I visited and described. If this book accomplishes anything, I hope it drives people to protect cherished American sites.

The Last American Road Trip is entirely new material. But in topic and tone, it is similar to this newsletter, which I launched shortly after finishing the first draft. If you like this newsletter, you’ll love The Last American Road Trip. And if you liked my previous books on mafia state crimes, Hiding in Plain Sight and They Knew, don’t worry — I took my kids to the Iran-Contra drug smuggling airport in Mena, Arkansas along with all those pretty parks!

I could use help getting the word out on The Last American Road Trip. Most of you know I’ve been a target of threats, censorship, and other problems over the past decade. I’m not complaining. I’m lucky to be able to write for a living at all. But my success has always been due to my readers. My first book, The View from Flyover Country, was a self-published eBook that got so popular, publishers wanted to reissue it in print. I owe everything to a grassroots audience who popularized my writing through word of mouth and had my back time and time again.

I’m getting teary-eyed — like I said, this stage of the publishing process is like the ninth month of pregnancy — so I’m signing off. If you have questions, I’ll try to answer them below. I’ll edit this page to reflect any tour changes and answer recurring queries.

Thanks again! Please preorder — and hope to see you soon!

Love,

Sarah

AN ADDENDUM: I’ve had lots of wonderful suggestions for other cities to visit on this tour. If it were up to me, I’d go to all of them, because I find every place interesting! I’m adding this note so that everyone knows how book tours work. My publisher pays all travel costs, and the bookstores or festivals have to invite me. It is possible that if The Last American Road Trip sells well, I’ll go to more cities — that’s what happened with my other books. In this economy, I’m lucky to have a tour at all! We’ll see. I’m hoping to do an event in the northeast since there’s a regional gap, and also in Kansas City since I’m close. It may happen later on. I appreciate everyone’s enthusiasm and I’m excited to see a whole bunch of cities I’ve never visited while on tour! I’ll keep you posted if things change and thank you for getting the word out!

ADDENDUM #2: My publisher is offering a free key chain with a famous quote from me for anyone who has preordered the book! Ride out the apocalypse in style here!

In America, there were plants…

…And birds…

…And rocks…

And things!