Known as the Coastal Highway, U.S. Route 17 runs along the Eastern Seaboard from Punta Gorda, Florida, to Winchester, Virginia, passing many of the prime shrimping waters in the southern United States. Visiting remote ports-of-call cluttered with trawlers, and the many eateries along the route--some established, some obscure--the author explores the Lowcountry shrimping culture and presents a colorful profile of the "17-ers," the eccentric lifetime residents of the highway corridor.

“Gives readers a flavor of the region, what natives think of Route 17, and the vast knowledge some few people possess about shrimp. … After reading Shrimp Highway, I not only wanted to chow down on some of that fried shrimp and get my toes in the sand, but I also wanted to drive down part of U.S. 17, at least that part of it that follows the North Carolina coast, and stop in some of the towns Johnson visited, and just walk around the streets breathing in the briny air and taking it easy.”—Smoky Mountain News
“[Johnson] describes the nature of the highway, background on shrimp and methods of harvesting and cooking it”—ProtoView

Jeff Johnson is a playwright and teacher. Recipient of numerous awards, he is the author of four previous books on theater and cinema. He lives in Franklin, North Carolina.