Overview

This collection of eloquent essays that examine the relationship between the American landscape and the national character serves to remind us that despite our differences we all belong to the same land (Publishers Weekly). What does it mean when a nation accustomed to moving begins to settle down, when political discord threatens unity, and when technology disrupts traditional ways of building communities? Is a shared soil enough to reinvigorate a national spirit? From the embaattled newsrooms of small town newspapers to the pornography film sets of the Los Angeles basin, from the check-out lanes of Dollar General to the holy sites of Mormonism, from the nation's highest peaks to the razed remains of a cherished home, like a latter-day Woody Guthrie, Tom Zoellner takes to the highways and byways of a vast land in search of the soul of its people. By turns nostalgic and probing, incisive and enraged, Zoellner's reflections reveal a nation divided by faith, politics, and shifting economies, but--more importantly--one united by a shared sense of ownership in the common land.

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9798200920815

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Reviews

A fascinating investigation into American places and themes; metaphors for our country. -- NPR A sweeping view of the American land and its inhabitants how each has shaped, and deformed, the other...Zoellner is a beautiful writer, a superb reporter, and a deep thinker. -- New York Times Book Review Highly recommended. Zoellner will acquaint you with byways, and mores, you never knew existed. -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Zoellner has learned to see the United States in all its bewildering diversity. -- Los Angeles Review of Books

Author Information

Tom Zoellner is the author or coauthor of nine nonfiction books, the politics editor of the Los Angeles Review of Books, an associate professor of English at Chapman University, and a visiting professor of English at Dartmouth College. His writing has appeared in the Atlantic, Harper's, Men's Health, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and many other places. He is the recipient of fellowships and residencies from The Lannan Foundation, the Corporation of Yaddo, and the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation. Rick Adamson is an award-winning audiobook narrator and voice actor. He won the prestigious Audie Award in 2011 and was among the finalists for the 2006 Audie Award.

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