Deep South : four seasons on back roads

You get the feeling, sometimes, that Theroux has to push himself to go on these journeys to write a new book, and that he has little interest in the places he's going to. Certainly, this book starts off that way, with a customary swipe at other travel writers before he makes his way to the Deep South - and clearly enjoys it so much he makes many return visits and appears to make friends.

This isn't Theroux at his finest. He's a known writer now. He can call ahead and get interviews, and does in many cases here. There is less serendipitous meetings in the street, though they do still happen. He's in a car, not in a train, which changes the dynamic of the book since he isn't bossed around by station timetables and over-officious guards. He can, in one slightly embarrassing part of the book, request to go and see some poor people, to which his interviewee agrees and we're taken to a poor family's house in what seems like a zoo visit.

However, it's a good read, with some good characters and an overwhelming message that too many Americans virtue-signal by giving money to Africa when they'd be rather better helping their own country people. Certainly worth spending time with; I regret not reading the print edition, which appears to have some lovely photographs throughout, and instead reading an ebook version that lumps some photographs at the end in poor black and white quality.

"People Who Never Hit a Lick at a Snake and They Expect Help" I love that line, something somebody said to the author during his travels in the deep south, it is almost like poetry and makes little sense.

This is one of the densest books I have ever read, there is so much information and experience crammed into this book it amazes me how it all fits in so well. I was expecting this to be a travel book but it is so much more than that, you get a history lesson on slavery and the battles for freedom and an update on what the state of the country is in today. Most travel books are about somebody going to one place, saying "Oh look at that" and "Isn't is really hot", then they move onto the next place and briefly describe that. Deep South is so much better, Mr Thorax (as he is called by one person) travels in the south, visits places, meets people and then returns. He meets up with the people he met before and sees how the places have changed, he also spots things he missed last time, the way it is written, it's almost as if you have been there before.

After reading this I feel I've lived a sheltered life, I knew there was racism and the KKK, I knew the South was poor and a bit run down, I never knew just how bad it was, at times the place feels like a third world country. I've no idea how the government could let things get as bad as they are and yet they continue to leave things as they are. Hopefully this book will be read by people in the right places and changes will start to happen.

This book has inspired me to read more southern literature, top of my list is [b:Fanning the Spark: A Memoir|6380561|Fanning the Spark A Memoir|Mary Ward Brown|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328809833s/6380561.jpg|6568460] by Mary Ward Brown, amazing sounding lady.

I do have a couple of issues with this book;
1. There is no spoiler alert at the beginning, Mr Thorax does talk about a lot of books and gives away their endings quite often.
2. Some photos to accompany the book would have been great, I read this on the kindle and there might be some in the hard copy, but nothing on the kindle, photos though would have gone down really well with me.

My first reading of a book by this author and I'm now hooked, will be picking up another book of his soon.