In the 1930s; the Federal Writers' Project sent mostly anonymous writers; but also Zora Neale Hurston and Stetson Kennedy; into the depths of Florida to reveal its splendor to the world. The FWP and the State of Florida jointly published the results as Florida: A Guide to the Southernmost State; which included twenty-two driving tours of the state's main roads. Eventually; after Eisenhower built the interstates; drivers bypassed the small towns that thrived along these roads in favor of making better time. Those main roads are now the state's backroads―forgotten by all but local residents; a few commuters; and dedicated road-trippers. Retracing the original routes in the Guide; Cathy Salustri rekindles our notions of paradise by bringing a modern eye to the historic travelogues.Salustri's 5;000-mile road trip reveals a patchwork quilt of Florida cultures: startling pockets of history and environmental bliss stitched against the blight of strip malls and franchise restaurants. The journey begins on US 98; heading west toward the Florida/Alabama state line; where coastal towns dot the roadway. Here; locals depend on the tourism industry; spurred by sugar sand beaches; as well as the abundance of local seafood. On US 41; Salustri takes us past the state's only whitewater rapids; a retired carnie town; and a dazzling array of springs; swamps; and rivers interspersed with farms that produce a bounty of fruit. Along US 17; she stops for milkshakes and hamburgers at Florida's oldest diner and visits a collection of springs interconnected by underwater mazes tumbling through white spongy limestone; before stopping in Arcadia; where men still bring cattle to auction. Desperately searching for skunk apes; the Sunshine State's version of Bigfoot; she encounters more than one gator on her way through the Everglades; Ochopee; and the Skunk Ape Research Headquarters.Following the original Guide; Salustri crisscrosses the state from the panhandle to the Keys. She guides readers through forgotten and unknown corners of the state--nude beaches; a rattlesnake cannery; Devil's Millhopper in Gainesville--as well as more familiar haunts--Kennedy Space Center and The Villages; "Florida’s Friendliest Retirement Hometown." Woven through these journeys are nuggets of history; environmental debates about Florida's future; and a narrative that combines humor with a strong affection for an oft-maligned state.Today; Salustri urges; tourists need a new nudge to get off the interstates or away from Disney in order to discover the real Florida. Her travel narrative; following what are now backroads and scenic routes; guides armchair travelers and road warriors alike to historic sites; natural wonders; and notable man-made attractions--comparing the past views with the present landscape and commenting on the changes; some barely noticeable; others extreme; along the way.
#1870536 in Books University Press of Florida 2008-04-20Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.02 x .55 x 5.98l; .82 #File Name: 0813032733240 pages
Review
0 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Informative historical informationBy A.JeffSad but factual informative written objectively and non-biased. Unless one does not know their history; then they not only know who they are; where they came from; or where they are going. Every African American should have this book in their library.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. A Fine; Quick ReadBy A. N. WegmannThis book traces the origins of the American Colonization Society through the growth abolitionist thought; primarily in the Quaker communities of North Carolina. Though short (some 170 pages of text); it does a great deal for the small-but-expanding historiography on one of the strangest; complex; and debatable associations within American antebellum race relations. Prof. Burin (University of North Dakota) tracks the purchase-and-free practices of the North Carolina Quakers; and their connections with; and use of; the American Colonization Society (ACS) as a means of anti-slavery action. He focuses on the prime role the ACS played in the anti-slavery movement even though the Society itself never claimed to be either pro- or anti-slavery at any point in its history. That is the essential strength of the book--Prof. Burin explains how the ACS was used by certain groups and communities for certain; often contradictory; purposes; yet every action ended up feeding the growing colony (and later republic) of Liberia in West Africa. From these mixed efforts; Liberia developed an elite settler society of mixed-raced Americans who used their shared American history and origin to establish dominance over the native Liberian population; while concurrently defining themselves and each other within a complex; race-based social structure that reflected American cultural and racial norms more than anything else. This is a fine book for those interested in the history and policy of the American Colonization Society or the anti-slavery machinations of the Quaker communities of the Atlantic seaboard.
