by Paul Theroux
First published 2008
Paul Theroux opens this collection by examining why Americans no longer hitchhike and what this reveals about the nation's changing character. New York Times veteran John Kifner warns how Americans repeatedly ignore historical lessons at their own cost. Kashmiri journalist Muzamil Jaleel travels across the country as a questioning Sufi Muslim, bringing an outsider's curiosity to American customs and beliefs. Samantha Powers analyzes American exemptionalism and its consequences. Photographer Antonin Kratochvil captures the visual contradictions of a nation that calls itself God's country. Political cartoonist Gerald Scarfe, who spent four decades skewering British politics for the London Sunday Times, turns his sharp pen toward American subjects. Together, these voices create a multifaceted portrait of America that challenges readers to see their country through fresh eyes, whether from within or beyond its borders.
Genres: american, non-fiction, 21st-century, current-affairs
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: outsider-perspective, social-commentary
Setting: America, Kashmir
Period: 21st-century
200 pages · Paperback · Dispatches Corporation