Americana: Dispatches from the New Frontier

Some of these essays by Hampton Sides were riveting. "A Murder in Falkner" is an engrossing story of true crime. Other essays, like the opening essay about Tony Hawk, are worth skipping. Definitely take a look at this book if you are interested in American culture, but feel free to pick and choose what interests you. ( )

With any collection of 30 articles written by the same author over almost 20 years, there's bound to be some variation in quality. Sides is a great writer, though, so even the least interesting entries here are still pretty good, and the best are wonderful. ( )

I loved this book, from essays about Airstream trailer road clubs to a bass fisherman tournament; left on my own to seek out reading material, I would have sought out nary a one. The author can write and I once again find myself following a good writer wherever he takes me like a loyal dog. ( )

Entertaining and sometimes whimsical, it didn't engage me as much as I had hoped. ( )