Hidden America: From Coal Miners to Cowboys, an Extraordinary Exploration… (edition 2012)

Hidden America is another book I was introduced to by www.dearreader.com. I started reading the excerpts and liked it so much I ordered it. So glad I did, because I really really loved this book. It took me to worlds that are real, described them marvelously, complete with their fascinating denizens...and they're all right here in America. I was surprised to find so many reviewers here who weren't all that impressed with it. I think I am drawn to stories and books and TV shows and movie that show people at work -- it's so much a part of life, and of what makes the world go round. I learned so much from this book! The writing was top-tier journalistic prose and I think the author is marvelously talented. Thank you, Jeanne Marie Laskas! ( )

I really liked this. It was a very interesting look into the lives of people whose lives are completely unlike mine. ( )

An amazing look at jobs we don't take the time to consider and how without these jobs are our day to day experiences would be much different. ( )

Well written? Maybe. Well put together? Not so much. To be honest this book was a bit of a chore to finish. I never really connected with the author and I couldn't decide if I wanted more of her voice or less. In some stories it was there, unmistakably. In others, she disappeared. I think the concept of this book is great. I love stories about the people who make this country tick, but unfortunately this one didn't do it for me. ( )

An eye-opening book that takes the reader on a cross-country tour of places and people previously unknown, unseen, or simply ignored. These are profiles of people and jobs that are an important part of the nation's economy, but which don't get the recognition they deserve. It should be on reading lists for high school and college students and would be great for bookclub discussions. ( )