Synopses & Reviews
One of the most acclaimed travel writers of our time turns his unflinching eye on an American South too often overlooked
Paul Theroux has spent fifty years crossing the globe, adventuring in
the exotic, seeking the rich history and folklore of the far away. Now,
for the first time, in his tenth travel book, Theroux explores a piece
of America — the Deep South. He finds there a paradoxical place, full of
incomparable music, unparalleled cuisine, and yet also some of the
nation’s worst schools, housing, and unemployment rates. It’s these
parts of the South, so often ignored, that have caught Theroux’s keen
traveler’s eye.
On road trips spanning four
seasons, wending along rural highways, Theroux visits gun shows and
small-town churches, laborers in Arkansas, and parts of Mississippi
where they still call the farm up the road “the plantation.” He talks to
mayors and social workers, writers and reverends, the working poor and
farming families — the unsung heroes of the south, the people who,
despite it all, never left, and also those who returned home to rebuild a
place they could never live without.
From the writer
whose “great mission has always been to transport us beyond that reading
chair, to challenge himself — and thus, to challenge us” (Boston Globe), Deep South is an ode to a region, vivid and haunting, full of life and loss alike.
Review
“A generation of travel writers owes a debt to Theroux’s immersive, first-person narratives, captured with unflinching, sometimes merciless candor.” New York Times Book Review
Review
"As thoughtful as it is evocative, the book offers insight into a significant region and its people and customs. An epically compelling travel memoir." Kirkus Reviews, starred
Review
"Free of the sense of alienation that marked his recent travelogues, this luminous sojourn is Theroux's best outing in years." Publishers Weekly, starred
About the Author
PAUL THEROUX's highly acclaimed novels include Blinding Light, Hotel Honolulu, My Other Life, Kowloon Tong, and The Mosquito Coast. His travel books include Ghost Train to the Eastern Star, Dark Star Safari, Riding the Iron Rooster, The Great Railway Bazaar, The Old Patagonian Express, and The Happy Isles of Oceania. He lives in Hawaii and on Cape Cod.