State By State - A Panoramic Portrait Of America (2008) - Plot & Excerpts
This is an excellent read! North America is a vast place and the 50 states are very different so the choice to have 50 different people write about the states works very well. Each chapter starts with statistics about the individual state which is extremely interesting, ranging from population to state flower. (There's also a lot of statistics at the end which are equally interesting) The writers each approach their state differently, some choosing to focus on the history of the state, others personal experiences, some write about the nature, there are even a couple of comic strips. The book teaches you a lot about the different states but also North America as a whole. I really enjoyed this book, it is long but don't be put off by it's length as it is a truly addictive read. I think fans of history, nature, politics and fiction would love this book. The eclectic range of authors means everyone will probably be familiar with a few of them. Overall, it's a fascinating book packed full of beautiful descriptions, clever insights, and interesting facts that is at various times touching, sad, hilarious and absorbing. It's a must-read if you are interested in America and/or are visiting it. Fifty authors from fifty states all combining to produce an usual book. This group of writers are often enthusiastic, funny, boring, entertaining, tedious, excited and any good or bad adjective can apply. They often don't write about the state, but write about a personal experience that happened when they were there. Many don't live presently in the state that they are representing. I opened the book several times a day when I often put down a fiction counterpart and read about the state that I opened the book to. The generalization that I came away with was the more remote and less populated the state was, the better and more entertaining the writing. Not sure I know what that means, not sure I care. The book also provides seperately many pages of statistics comparing all fifty states which highlights quality of life issues. This is a great book for a change of pace. You can read it often or seldom because there is no continuity between chapters and you can pick up on a new adventure at will. It is like reading fifty short stories that are completely unrelated to each other. There are, however, some really cute and witty sections. I enjoyed North Dakota, Nebraska and Montana, but I don't think I'm planning to move.
What do You think about State By State - A Panoramic Portrait Of America (2008)?
I really enjoyed reading these essays. What a fresh new way to look at each state. I loved it
—dardenterrilyn
so far i've only learned that it rains a lot in Oregon
—Pam613
