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Spying on the South

An Odyssey Across the American Divide
Jan 24, 2020PimaLib_NormS rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
The last book written by the late Tony Horwitz is “Spying on the South: An Odyssey Across the American Divide”. Horwitz was fascinated by the writings and travels of Frederick Law Olmsted, who was a correspondent for the fledgling New York Times in the 1850s, and later became one of the world’s foremost landscape architects. Olmsted is most famous for his work designing New York’s Central Park. But, as a young man finding his way in life, he was assigned to travel throughout the Southern states to get a sense of what the people were like, and why slavery was so deeply ingrained in Southern culture. This was during the run up to the Civil War and American society was starting to fray over the issue of slavery. One hundred sixty some odd years later, during another turbulent time in America, Tony Horwitz ambitiously set out to follow Olmsted’s route, as best he could, to learn about life in the South today. A summary on the book jacket asks the question, “Is America still one country?” It is a difficult question, and the fact that the question can even be asked is troubling enough. “Spying on the South” does not alleviate the fear of a divided America, however, Tony Horwitz leavens the story of his grand adventure with bits of humor and a few tales of kindness and friendship towards a curious Yankee immersed in what sometimes seems like foreign territory.