excellent expository/narrative on what the loss of manufacturing has done to the families and towns of the south

Fascinating and engaging ramble through the poorest rural areas of the American southeast. the author's extensive career and travels in third world countries provide a revealing comparison to our country's responsibility for its own citizens.

I've read Paul Theroux's writing in Smithsonian and always enjoyed it, so I thought I would try a full book. I liked it enough that I plan to read some of his other works in the future. However, I felt that it was a little bit tedious and would have been better about 100 pages shorter. I felt that his definition of "Deep South" was a little different than mine, as his encompassed Mississippi, Georgia, Alabama, and Arkansas. Where were Louisiana and Texas? Don't get me wrong, I loved his descriptions of the Arkansas Ozarks, but I'm not sure they qualify as deep south in my opinion. I also found it hard to remember characters between sections. Theroux revists some of the same folks on each seasonal trip and I sometimes had difficulty remembering what had happened with each person in the previous part. Overall though, a good armchair travel read.

3.5 stars

I wish I could rate this book in two parts. I would give the first half 4 or 5 stars. Well written, interesting and varied topics as he works his way through the south. Overall, really enjoyable. But then it just starts feeling tedious. Like you're stuck with an older relative who isn't a particularly good storyteller but wants to tell you 400 stories you've heard before anyways. He just lost me. And he criticized Harper Lee. Which .. just .. no. Not ok. Honestly though, I wish he would have just edited it down a bit more and I would have had happier feelings about it at the end because there really is some great stuff in here.

Paul Theroux has travelled extensively through third world countries and now, he chose to explore the Deep South. It’s a different sort of travel as he went to and fro between home and the South over 1.5 years. He met numerous people; most were courteous with very interesting stories. He contemplated the severity of poverty he’s encountered and which he found to be comparable to that of a third world country. He reflected on the civil rights movements and its effects; the violence, the delay of integration, the current attitude of the South. This book is written in little chapters of stories –of people he met and interacted with and of subject matter. There were some humorous moments, some inspiring tales, but in the end, I found it quite sad that there is such poverty and illiteracy in a First World which are buried whilst all eyes are turned elsewhere.

This book seemed to be less about the South and more about the author's ego. It struck me as highly repetitive and filled to the brim with stereotypes. Why Theroux insists on treating the South as if it were not only a different continent but also a different century is not only baffling, but more than a little harmful and, quite honestly, way too easy. Also, the forced comparison with East African countries was already puzzling the first time, but man did he want to drive the point home. Ultimately, I feel like I really wanted to learn about the South, but the author kept getting in the way.

(Also, will I ever forgive the fact that an author writing about the Deep South misspelled Absalom, Absalom!? Probably not.)

In a very different style than Theroux's other travel books, in this one he returns several times to the very poorest areas in the southern US, focusing primarily on Alabama and Arkansas, with trips through the Carolinas, Georgia, and Mississippi on the way. One of his themes is to contrast his experiences with foreign aid efforts in Africa and Asia with the need in poor communities here, and the way they are generally overlooked by aid groups. It's an interesting book, but lacks much of the humor and interest found in his other travel works.