State by State: A Panoramic Portrait of America
I truly enjoyed this book and I will continue to find it useful as time goes on. Not only is there an intriguing essay about each state but also there is an opening page for each state providing a variety of geo-political and cultural information about each, as well as some comparison tables in the appendix.
Since one can easily skip around I quickly went to each of the states in which I have lived since I was a child. I found the essays really captured my recollections of each state. I currently reside in Oklahoma and was thoroughly amused by Ms. Hinton's final comments.
Since Oklahoma also suffered one of the biggest terrorist attacks on US soil she felt that people around the world would have an example of the nobility and grace, with which Americans can cope with such disater and would understand why she chooses to live here. Instead they still ask why Oklahoma?
Even if you have never spent time anywhere else in the US, you can enjoy true reflections of the good, the bad and the beautiful about each state.
Well done, I say.
Rated of 5
by TCT South Kingstown, RI
Exceptionally Entertaining
If you think even for a second that this book might be fun, of interest or perhaps even provocative - then follow your instincts. It is fun, interesting and provocative. The stories that are told are hilarious, poignant, raunchy, layered and deeply personal. I was interested in this book when it was first published but hesitated to buy it. I jumped at the chance to review it and I have not been disappointed - and in fact feel lucky to have been handed a copy.
Rated of 5
by Maria P. (Washington, DC)
Unique Voices
So many unique voices make for a fascinating view of these United States of America. And the beautiful descriptions of the land and the people inhabiting the towns and byways lend souls to these states. The sorrow that we may not be caring for the land is very evident in some of the essays, that we might need to tread a little lighter, that the stories of the past might be seen in the present and that the present is a gift and that this book is indeed a gift to us.
Rated of 5
by Sherrill B. (Columbia City, In.)
state by state
what I liked about the book was each author knew about the state he or she was talking about. It was very informative and at the same time reminded me of an illustrated version of John Steinbeck's travels with Charlie and a book by Charles Kuralt about different regions but neither author was from the states about which they talked. I really liked the cartoons of Oregon and Vermont.The photos, in the book also. When friends and I have talked recently about a state I get my book State by State and we read about it. Also I have promised several people they can borrow my book when I am finished and read it. they are very interested in that. I highly recommend this book.
Rated of 5
by Darra W. (Walnut Creek, CA)
E Pluribus Unum...and How!
If you’ve ever wondered about the 21st-century relevance of our national motto—Out of Many, One—wonder no more. This fascinating collection of 50 essays, one per state, each penned by a different writer, is a tour de force of letters and lore, affirming both the rugged individuality and the common threads that personify the American Experience. Each narrative opens with a mini-almanac of state facts; the compendium is enhanced with appendices of relevant tables and a signature of photos, the latter provided by the individual authors.
The essays are eclectic in content and style. The iconic Merritt Parkway surfaces as central metaphor in the mini-memoir penned by Connecticut native son, Rick Moody. John Hodgman’s riff on the uniqueness of Massachusetts is delivered with the dry wit of the observational humorist. Jonathan Franzen attempts a tongue-in-cheek interview with New York State. Daphne Beal waxes nostalgic about the life “ballast” cemented by her Wisconsin childhood. Joe Sacco (Oregon) and Alison Bechdel (Vermont) employ the comic strip to tell their stories. Some entries are love songs to “the old home state,” others chronicle the immigrant experience, still others recall a temporary, but memorable sojourn to the state in question.
Despite the diversity of subject matter and tone, there are certain recurring threads. The decimation and continued isolation of the native peoples; the emergence (or exacerbation) of intrastate political and geographical polarities; concern for the environment: these oft-repeating themes demonstrate that, regardless of our individual experiences, we do—on occasion—think as one.
State by State is the kind of book you can swallow in a gulp, or savor state by state as the mood moves you. It would make a great book club read; if your group is feeling particularly ambitious, pair it up with Travels with Charley, Steinbeck’s 1962 classic.
Rated of 5
by Vy A. (Phoenix,
State by State A Panoramic Portrait of America
“A road trip in book form” is how the editors of State by State describe their book. They believe that in spite of America becoming more homogeneous each year, it still retains an essential deep-grained variety. The search for each state’s differences in landscape, topography, political outlook, social ideals and cultural preference resulted in a unique composite of America that can be enjoyed at many levels.
It will appeal to those who like facts, as each state’s selection is preceded by twenty-two statistics from motto to geographic center to median age. It will appeal even more to readers who want to experience a state through the eyes of a variety of writers. Some writers were chosen who were native to the state, others who had never been there and presented a fresh eye approach, but each writer was told to tell a story, a personal experience, that captured the essence of the state. It can be read cover to cover in alphabetical order or one can first hop-scotch to the states lived in to see if this writer’s experience is similar to theirs. It’s a fascinating read which includes ten pages of images, (photos, paintings) also selected by each writer for their state, which they felt captured the “visual” essence. I recommend it as a great resource for both historical and literary value.
Rated of 5
by Betty S. (Jasper, GA)
State by State
The book is arranged alphabetically by state, so I began with Alabama (civil rights movement). Deciding to stay in the South, I went next to Georgia (Chinese immigrant buys first home). Then to Florida (boy enjoys endless sun and surf).
Deciding to leave the Hot Zone, I headed for Alaska (fishing for king salmon) and Oregon (365 days of showers, interrupted occasionally by sunshine). Then to the Midwest and Illinois, which claims to be first in everything (but what about North Carolina, which is First in Flight?) On to stalwart Vermont, some of whose citizens want to be the first to secede from the Union. I hope they don't prevail; 50 is such a nice round number.
The articles are both fact-filled and entertaining. I can't imagine anyone who wouldn't enjoy reading them.
Fearless, gripping, at once darkly funny and tender, spanning three continents and numerous lives, Americanah is a richly told story set in today's globalized world.
The story of an American family, middle class in middle America, ordinary in every way but one. But that exception is the beating heart of this extraordinary novel.
The most mature work yet from an incomparable storyteller, TransAtlantic is a profound meditation on identity and history in a wide world that grows somehow smaller and more wondrous with...
First time novelist Vaddey Ratner captured my heart and senses in this novel based on her childhood in Cambodia. Her story transcends any news story...
read more
From the first page, I was drawn in by the lyrical writing of the author and mesmerized as the narrator, eight year old Raami, remembered the years...
read more
Trite but true, all good things must come to an end. I so wanted to keep reading the wonderful prose, the settings that let one think they are part...
read more
Kenn Nesbitt is new Children's Poet Laureate(Jun 12 2013) Kenn Nesbitt has been named the new Children's Poet Laureate: Consultant in Children's Poetry to the Poetry Foundation, which noted that the two-year position...
Full Story
of 5
by Patricia H. (Norman, OK)
