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Avg. Customer Rating:(based on 45 reviews) Sales Rank: 727 Category: Book
Authors:Matt Weiland, Sean Wilsey Publisher:Ecco Studio:Ecco Manufacturer:Ecco Label:Ecco Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published) Media: Hardcover Number Of Items: 1 Pages: 608 Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.1 Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.3
From the bestselling editors of The Thinking Fan's Guide to the World Cup comes an American road trip in book form: original writing on all 50 states by 50 of our finest novelists, journalists, and essayists
Inspired by the example of the legendary WPA American Guide series of the 1930s and '40s, now 50 of our foremost writers have produced original pieces of reportage and memoir that capture the 50 states in our time, creating a fresh portrait of America as it lives and breathes today.
At turns poignant and funny, and always insightful, these 50 writers tell us something lasting and revealing about each state through personal memory or contemporary reporting that captures the essential qualities that make each state its own. With an array of revealing facts and figures comparing the 50 states in a range of surprising measures (toothlessness, military enlistment, suicide), State by State is more than an anthology: It is a classic American road movie in book form.
Featuring original writing on all fifty states
Alabama by George Packer Alaska by Paul Greenberg Arizona by Lydia Millet Arkansas by Kevin Brockmeier California by William T. Vollmann Colorado by Benjamin Kunkel Connecticut by Rick Moody Delaware by Craig Taylor Florida by Joshua Ferris Georgia by Ha Jin Hawaii by Tara Bray Smith Idaho by Anthony Doerr Illinois by Dave Eggers Indiana by Susan Choi Iowa by Dagoberto Gilb Kansas by Jim Lewis Kentucky by John Jeremiah Sullivan Louisiana by Joshua Clark Maine by Heidi Julavits Maryland by Myla Goldberg Massachusetts by John Hodgman Michigan by Mohammed Naseehu Ali Minnesota by Philip Connors Mississippi by Barry Hannah Missouri by Jacki Lyden Montana by Sarah Vowell Nebraska by Alexander Payne Nevada by Charles Bock New Hampshire by Will Blythe New Jersey by Anthony Bourdain New Mexico by Ellery Washington New York by Jonathan Franzen North Carolina by Randall Kenan North Dakota by Louise Erdrich Ohio by Susan Orlean Oklahoma by S.E. Hinton Oregon by Joe Sacco Pennsylvania by Andrea Lee Rhode Island by Jhumpa Lahiri South Carolina by Jack Hitt South Dakota by Said Sayrafiezadeh Tennessee by Ann Patchett Texas by Cristina Henriquez Utah by David Rakoff Vermont by Alison Bechdel Virginia by Tony Horwitz Washington by Carrie Brownstein West Virginia by Jayne Anne Phillips Wisconsin by Daphne Beal Wyoming by Alexandra Fuller
and an afterword on Washington, D.C.: A Conversation with Edward P. Jones
Contemporary Writing November 23, 2008 "State by State, a Panoramic Portrait of America," edited by Matt Weiland and Sean Wilsey - Surely this is no great book but it has a fascination. Fifty contemporary writers piece together essays on each of the 50 states. The concept is attention-catching. The editors no doubt are themselves disappointed by some of the results - some of the writers miss their mark widely. If the essays were not in this collection, some would not be recognized as portraits of a state. Kansas is incidental to Jim Lewis' essay, which is more closely focused on the Coyote Club at Wichita. Philip Connors offers a close (and slightly bitter) look at Minnesota's southwest corner, which is rarely a part of Minnesota literature. "State by State" would bring little to someone (an immigrant) seeking to learn more of America. If you know the land, however, if you know the territory, you will not feel cheated. Often you may be moved to mutter to a writer, "You should be able to do better than this."
State by state statement November 20, 2008 Although some of these essays are much better than others, overall this is a fascinating view of the 50 states from unique perspectives.
worth reading and keeping on the shelf for reference November 20, 2008 2 out of 2 found this review helpful
The thick book of essays by 50 writers describing 50 states is an interesting anthology. The essays are very different in style, form and length. I believe there are ones to suit anybody's literary taste, from long, descriptive, guide-like narratives (e.g. California by William T. Vollman, which I enjoyed very much) through short postcards (e.g. Maryland by Myla Goldberg, I think a bit too laconic), satirical pieces (Massachusetts by John Hodgman, in my opinion a little overdone and smug) to inventive, novel forms (New York by Jonathan Franzen, in a form of an interview, funny and fresh), personal accounts (my favorites: very nostalgic Florida by Joshua Ferris and Georgia by Ha Jin, which I especially liked, as it showed the experience of a foreigner, very similar to my own) and even a cartoon (Oregon by Joe Sacco, which employs visual effects in addition to words to describe the state characteristics, creating a very nice effect). The diversity makes this book an uneven read, but I believe different essays can really suit different attitudes and moods.
Some of the writers' names were familiar to me (Franzen, Erdrich, Jin, Eggers, Lahiri, Fuller, Patchett), but the majority weren't. I was happy to discover these authors and will follow up on them. Note, that the authors did not have to be natives of the states they wrote about, which adds some flavor and honesty to the accounts; the local patriotism, if any, is mostly acquired. The preface by Matt Weiland provided a nice intro and mentiones some Americana I would like to read, too. The encyclopaedic details about each state make this book a staple for each bookshelf.
The photos in the middle were a welcome addition. I did not understand other reviewars' objections about the photo representing Maine (it shows a row of nude women, photographed with their backs to the camera, completely benign; I felt it cannot be offensive even for a five year old - otherwise the art from Rubens to Modigliani should be also considered shocking and offensive; but then, I am from Europe, so who am I to judge the American attitudes to the upbringing of children) and the comments on the pronounced liberalism of the whole book - I did not feel it; to my foreign taste, it gave me a good overview of the diversity and complexity found in this vast country, with its landscapes, art, infrastructure and, most importantly, the behaviors and habits of the inhabitants of the fifty states.
State by State: A Portrait of America November 19, 2008 This is an absorbing book. Each chapter is a story which reflects the atmosphere of the state it represents. There is one chapter for each State in the Union. It's a book that one can read a chapter and come back to it later, much like a book of short stories. The book is well written and put together. I think you will like it, and would recommend it.
Eclectic collection of odd stories. November 17, 2008 0 out of 2 found this review helpful
The premise of this book was to collect short stories about all 50 states to parallel the old WPA series of books from the depression to make work for unemployed leftist writers. This collection is similar in several ways. All 50 states are included, and the writers are, without exception as far as I could see, leftist.
One warning is that this collection is not suitable for non-adults containing lots of objectionable language along with portrayals of deviant sexual practices including promiscuity, sadism and homosexualty. Indeed, one of my criticisms is that the sliminess and bigotry against traditional culture is so prevalent in this book of short articles that it must have been edited to bring out this bias. You might justly ask yourself what in the world promiscuity, sadism and perversion have to do with a collection of stories about the 50 states. Exactly my point.
The majority of articles had very little about the state or anything in them; rather they were personal stories about how much the author hated their state and got out as quickly as they could. There were a number of exceptions to these stories, and some of these are quite good. You will recognize a number of the writers who have excellent reputations.
So you should look on this book as a collection of quirky, biased, sometimes smutty, collection of personal reminiscences rather than stories about place (with some exceptions). The writing was pretty good in general, even the objectionable stories that insulted anyone who thought differently than the author. I enjoyed sharing some of them with co-workers from the various states portrayed. Most of them, like me, were amazed at how biased the authors were and by how far they missed the gestalt of the states in question. I really was expecting much more, especially given the list of authors. Just goes to show you reputation does not guarantee a good read. Two reluctant stars.
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