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'Only in America - the most powerful democracy on earth, home to the best and worst of everything - are the most extreme contradictions possible. In a series of journeys acclaimed author Don Watson set out to explore the nation that has influenced him more than any other.
'Travelling by rail gave Watson a unique and seductive means of peering into the United States, a way to experience life with its citizens: long days with the American landscape and American towns and American history unfolding on the outside, while inside a tiny particle of the American people talked among themselves.
'Watson's experiences are profoundly affecting: he witnesses the terrible aftermath of Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf Coast; explores the savage history of the Deep South, the heartland of the Civil War; and journeys to the remarkable wilderness of Yellowstone National Park. Yet it is through the people he meets that Watson discovers the incomparable genius of America, its optimism, sophistication and riches - and also its darker side, its disavowal of failure and uncertainty.
'... American Journeys investigates the meaning of the United States: its confidence, its religion, its heroes, its violence, and its material obsessions. The things that make America great are also its greatest flaws.' (Publisher's blurb)
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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Even in Kansas
2008
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Meanjin , vol. 67 no. 3 2008; (p. 38-46) Joseph Pearson examines the US presidential election campaign in the light of Don Watson's recent account of his travels in America. -
US Travel Memoir Wins Age Book of the Year Award
2008
single work
column
— Appears in: The Age , 23 August 2008; (p. 3) -
A Road More Travelled
2008
single work
column
— Appears in: The Age , 23 August 2008; (p. 24-25) -
Train of Thought
2008
single work
column
— Appears in: The Advertiser , 17 May 2008; (p. 23) -
Mystery Train
2008
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , April no. 300 2008; (p. 8-9)
— Review of American Journeys 2008 single work prose
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He's Gone to Look for America
2008
single work
review
— Appears in: The Age , 1 March 2008; (p. 22)
— Review of American Journeys 2008 single work prose -
Train I Ride
2008
single work
review
— Appears in: The Monthly , March no. 32 2008; (p. 52-53)
— Review of American Journeys 2008 single work prose -
State of the Union: Mission Impossible
2008
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 8-9 March 2008; (p. 28-29)
— Review of American Journeys 2008 single work prose -
Crossing America's Heart
2008
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 15 March 2008; (p. 10)
— Review of American Journeys 2008 single work prose -
Whimsy in the Land of Contradictions
2008
single work
review
— Appears in: The Canberra Times , 22 March 2008; (p. 17)
— Review of American Journeys 2008 single work prose -
True to His Word
2008
single work
criticism
— Appears in: The Canberra Times , 1 March 2008; (p. 12) -
Train of Thought
2008
single work
column
— Appears in: The Advertiser , 17 May 2008; (p. 23) -
A Road More Travelled
2008
single work
column
— Appears in: The Age , 23 August 2008; (p. 24-25) -
US Travel Memoir Wins Age Book of the Year Award
2008
single work
column
— Appears in: The Age , 23 August 2008; (p. 3) -
Even in Kansas
2008
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Meanjin , vol. 67 no. 3 2008; (p. 38-46) Joseph Pearson examines the US presidential election campaign in the light of Don Watson's recent account of his travels in America.
Awards
- 2009 shortlisted Prime Minister's Literary Awards — Non-Fiction
- 2008 shortlisted Western Australian Premier's Book Awards — Non-Fiction
- 2008 winner Walkley Award — Best Non-Fiction Book
- 2008 inaugural winner Indie Awards — Nonfiction
- 2008 winner The Age Book of the Year Award — Book of the Year
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cUnited States of America (USA),cAmericas,