Deep South by Paul Theroux

Travel books by Paul Theroux are always intriguing, taking the reader outside their normal environment and encouraging them to explore other people, places, and cultures.  In Deep South: Four Seasons on Back Roads, Theroux shares his impressions as he drives through the southern states of the United States.

To be honest, I expected more from this book.  Maybe that’s because I have been to New Orleans, Atlanta, and antebellum Mississippi and have so many fond memories of my own travels and car rides in the area.  Theroux, by hugging the back roads, set out to explore a more rural South and, even then, I anticipated comments and contrasts about the region’s poverty and unique culture. Theroux introduces readers to some memorable characters, but I was not as moved or connected as I expected to be.  I remember reading Black Like Me in high school and will be more apt to hand that title to current students as I think they will be engaged with and curious about Griffin‘s experience and travels, even though it was written 50 plus years ago.

Like many other travel books, Deep South may be one to “dip into” over time, much as Theroux himself made several trips across the seasons to the region. Do you have a favorite travel book by Paul Theroux? We have several in our collection - let me know which you would recommend.

Starred reviews from Booklist, Kirkus, and Publishers Weekly.

Calling Me Home by Julie Kibler

     Isabelle and Dorrie take a physical, emotional, and psychological road trip from Texas to Ohio, and what a journey it is for both of them.  Isabelle, a spirited older woman,  must get to Ohio for a funeral as soon as possible, and she has asks her hair stylist, Dorrie, to be the driver. 

     The reader is also in the driver's seat as both learn about Isabelle's life story, and the significant and tragic events that mark her life.  Isabelle was raised in a family of privilege and hired help, and during segregation; however, she learned to think for herself and to make her own decisions, many of which were detrimental to herself and others. 

     With the opposing chapters, the reader sits in the passenger seat with Isabelle to learn more about Dorrie, her mother, and the significant decisions Dorrie has to make about her own children and her life.

     Isabelle recounts her story chronologically starting in 1939 and finishing in 1943; Dorrie is always present day. The alternating chapters provide for a conversation between Isabelle and Dorrie, which makes the pages turn easily.  These women are courageous, strong, and indefatigable (a word that that Isabelle would probably know and just might be an answer on her crossword puzzles!)