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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
A nice glimpse into the current cultural, political, and social environment of the Lone Star State. Wright also includes some interesting historical tidbits and introduces us to several fascinating and oftentimes hilarious characters. I laughed a lot while reading this.
Not just for Texans, either. Anyone interested in learning about the cultural melting pot that is Texas would enjoy this one. It’s a much more complicated and, dare I say, interesting place than it’s reputation would suggest. Excellent work by Mr. Wright.
Not just for Texans, either. Anyone interested in learning about the cultural melting pot that is Texas would enjoy this one. It’s a much more complicated and, dare I say, interesting place than it’s reputation would suggest. Excellent work by Mr. Wright.
informative
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
fast-paced
I'd seen Lawrence Wright interviewed before, but had never read any of his books.
Wright attempts to explain Texas through personal vignettes about growing up and living in Texas interspersed with relevant Texas-y topics. The cities of Houston, Dallas and Austin all get a chapter, as well as regions like the Panhandle, the border and the trans-Pecos west. As someone who loves all the weird connections my family has with this state, I appreciated his approach and found it really resonated with me.
Other chapters deal with things that make Texas, well, Texas -- the crazy legislature and even crazier governors, gun culture, the oil industry, border security. I appreciate how he writes about these topics from a journalists standpoint and doesn't get too preachy -- he just lays it out there. A very Texas approach -- or the way things should work, anyway.
Texas can be maddening, but there's so much to love about it. This book sums it up just about right.
Wright attempts to explain Texas through personal vignettes about growing up and living in Texas interspersed with relevant Texas-y topics. The cities of Houston, Dallas and Austin all get a chapter, as well as regions like the Panhandle, the border and the trans-Pecos west. As someone who loves all the weird connections my family has with this state, I appreciated his approach and found it really resonated with me.
Other chapters deal with things that make Texas, well, Texas -- the crazy legislature and even crazier governors, gun culture, the oil industry, border security. I appreciate how he writes about these topics from a journalists standpoint and doesn't get too preachy -- he just lays it out there. A very Texas approach -- or the way things should work, anyway.
Texas can be maddening, but there's so much to love about it. This book sums it up just about right.
I can't say what made me pick this up at the library, but I'm glad I did. Endlessly engaging on a topic I never thought to truly care about.
A great explanation of what it is to be Texan. My native home. The good, the bad, and the ugly. The pros and cons. The consciousness and the bigotry. My home by birth and perhaps not by choice in many respects; but in many others a pretty phenomenal congenital gift. I love much about my home state (and so does Wright) and he encompasses all that and more here in this book; a book which I loved very much of as well.
funny
informative
reflective
fast-paced
slow-paced
I thought some of the information presented in this book was interesting, but the transitions into people or topics were messy, both in the chapter and then the order of the chapter themselves. Reading this book from the perspective of the white male perspective was a little annoying at times for me personally.