Fifty states. Fifty essays. Fifty writers. Sew it all together, and you have a portrait of the United States, but it's not one that would be endorsed by any state chamber of commerce. This is an unvarnished, true-to-life, sometimes full of praise, sometimes denigrating, and occasionally disturbing portrait of each of the 50 states—and it's a must-read.

During the Great Depression, the WPA initiated the American Guide Series of the Federal Writers' Project. More than 6,000 writers and researchers wrote a 500-page book about each of the then-48 states. This is not that kind of book. The editors, Matt Weiland and Sean Wilsey, announce their intentions at the beginning, looking for something that is broad-minded and good-hearted, as well as bold, intimate, and funny. They wanted their writers to provide personal anecdotes and strange characters and hidden truths. It is to be a road trip in book form.

While they mostly succeeded, the essays for some states are far superior than others, primarily because the writers told personal stories that felt universal and included information and descriptions unique to that state, making it stand out.

Here are my state essay superlatives that, please note, describe the essay—not the state of the state:
• The top five best:
1. Louisiana
2. South Carolina
3. Florida
4. Pennsylvania
5. Rhode Island

• Most Humorous (as in LOL Funny!): Illinois (with South Carolina a close second)
• Most Ingenious: New York
• Most Poignant: New Mexico
• Most Interesting Facts: Michigan
• Most Poetically Lyrical Writing: Idaho
• Most Nostalgic: New Jersey
• Most Disturbing (Read with Caution): California
• The Weirdest: New Hampshire (with Oregon a close second)
• The Saddest: Mississippi
• Most Boring: Kentucky

The secret sauce is the list of writers. There are several Pulitzer Prize winners, National Book Award winners, an Academy Award-winning writer, journalists, playwrights, poets, musicians, college professors, and B-list actors. Some of the authors' names are easily recognizable: Anthony Bourdain, Susan Choi, Anthony Doerr, Dave Eggers, Louise Erdrich, Joshua Ferris, Jonathan Franzen, Cristina Henríquez, Tony Horwitz, Jhumpa Lahiri, Lydia Millet, Susan Orlean, George Packer, Ann Patchett, and Jayne Anne Phillips.

Each state essay begins with a list of facts and figures, including the capital, origin of the name, motto, state flower, and population by race and age. At the end of the book, look for a list of tables that will make geography geeks swoon: population shifts, mean time to commute to work, unemployment rate, military recruitment rate, gasoline consumption, breastfeeding rate, toothlessness rate, and many more.

Bonus: The "Afterword" is a conversation with novelist/short story writer Edward P. Jones about Washington, D.C.

The end of the book is an extensive glossary of the 50 states by numbers, including population statistics that will make your head spin—rates of bankruptcy filing, travel time to work, military recruitment rate, population claiming no religion, roller coasters and drive-in movie theaters, toothlessness, obesity, alcohol consumption, and lots more.

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.

If you're looking for a snapshot of every state in the union, plus the District of Columbia and don't have the money or time this year for a visit: State by State is a great book to read. The editors have solicited essays, and in one case a cartoon essay, by some very talented authors who give a very personal panorama of their state. Though it is loosely based on the Depression era WPA guides, here each view is as different in style and perspective as the the state itself. I found myself attracted to states where I have lived: New York, Wyoming, Ohio and DC. Then places I have spent a lot of time and finally drive-by locations and virgin territory. I enjoyed them all. Accompanying each essay is a one-page almanac listing of the population, state flower, age distribution, etc. and the end of the book are Bureau of Census tables ranking states according to all sorts of arcane groupings. In the end though, the appeal of this book is the affect the states have on the authors and their lives. It is a fun, thought-provoking book that you can pick up whenever the wanderlust hits you and you are stuck at home.

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.

“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.

This is not a boring public relations hype about each state. The reader gets to meet interesting characters in every location. We are introduced to the wicked and the wise.

Each author's style is so refreshing. They express pride in their state, but are honest regarding some embarrassing parts of their history.

The reader will want to visit the landscapes described in this book. Who knows what wonders we will find. Carrie Browstein ends her view of Washington State by saying, "...There will always be wilderness to discover, and wilderness we'll never know."

Start planning your adventure now and don't forget to pack State by State.

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.

One of the benefits of an anthology like State-By-State is that it allows you to choose what you want to read in any particular order. The state portraits are varied -- some personal, some historical and all generally informative and interesting. I tended to read first those states that I have a particular interest in and, as the authors stated, there were three writers vying to write about my home state of New Jersey.

Supplementing the articles are statistical information about the subject state and comparative data ranking all states on a particular topic (who knew that Wyoming has the highest gasoline consumption per person).

State-by-State is a good way to spend some time reading about a few of the states, then be able to pick it up again to continue the journey. If I had one quibble with the book it is that I would have liked to have seen a little more background on each of the authors rather than just the sentence or two that is included.

Overall, State-by-State is worth the time and investment.