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Lawrence Wright is a writer, journalist and fellow at the Center for Law and Security at New York University. A mix of travelogue, anecdotes of his life in Texas and overview of Texas‘s history, politics and economy, I enjoyed Wright‘s conversational writing style but didn‘t feel like I understood the contradictions within the state, partly because he skewers towards the view of the privileged rather than those with a lower income.

I enjoyed this a lot. Might help if you already enjoyed a few of his other books, which I did.

“Ronald McNair…integrated the library in Lake City, South Carolina, where he grew up, refusing to leave until he was allowed to check out books. His mother and the police were called, but he was finally allowed to become the first black child to borrow books. He was nine years old.”

Readinglength.com is cool, but I would just like to point out that this is really 8 hours. 😂. It should just round up.

This ramble is a pleasant literary counterpart to a Linklater film & a superior companion to Anderson‘s Boom Town. Strikes a perfect balance bw travelogue, memoir, & cultural/political analysis. Author-narrated audio give the stories a warmth & intimacy that I found lacking in his Going Clear. I felt like I really got to know him, & he seems like my kind of guy. His story about living next door to Matthew McConaughey is priceless 😂 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I have loved Lawrence Wright in the past, but this one was just okay to me. It was clear that Wright loves his state and some of the stories he told were very cool. But it felt less like facts and nonfiction and more like a memoir of how much he loves Texas.

Having a good, relaxing day. And off tomorrow!

A well-written, personal look at the Lonestar state. Wright, a native Texan, looks at the state‘s history to try to understand its present. It is clear that Wright both loves and is often frustrated by his home state. He delves deep into the politics of the state, which is quickly becoming one of the most populous, and therefor politically relevant, in the country. Issues of immigration play out in the state as well due to its size and location.

So good! I was born in Texas and lived there for a bit as a young adult...great insight into the wide-ranging life of the state
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Very interesting. I really like his writing.

Fascinating and compelling: a series of essays about a crazy quilt of a state. Lawrence Wright lives in Austin, writes for the New Yorker, writes plays and is in a band. He wrote the Looming Tower, on Al Qaeda, and many other books. I heard an interview, maybe on Fresh Air, that encouraged me to read the book and I‘m happy for the perspective on this state that seems too large, not just in acres, to easily grasp.

Look at what someone brought in their luggage for me 😁👍🏽 Excited to start this one soon!

As someone who knows not so much about Texas, I really enjoyed this nuanced and super readable portrait of the state, past and present. Good mix of serious and lighthearted topics, and of memoir and cultural analysis. I‘d never read Lawrence Wright before (though I liked his documentary version of Going Clear), and I was impressed by his writing and voice. So sad of course to finish this today - gun culture was definitely discussed within.

I haven‘t gotten a copy of this yet, but this NPR review certainly makes it look promising. https://www.npr.org/600902732

Particularly pleased to be reading this. Yes, we Texans have wild boar hogs but at least we have less tigers than wild hogs. Though not less than are actually living in the wild, by best guess. And we are the screwed up ones that brought you the tea party and, quite probably, Donald Trump. Can God save Texas? Does he want to? I‘m curious to find out. Huge thank you for the ARC.