The Lost Continent

I was drawn to this book after reading the author's story of his hike over (not quite all of) the Appalachian Trail, A Walk in the Woods, a funny, poignant, harsh look at the folly of two middle-aged tenderfoots (or is that tenderfeet...) taking a hike for hundreds of miles with tents and meager provisions. This effort, The Lost Continent, details Bryson's attempt to reignite childhood family vacation memories by taking a drive around the USA in his Chevette. A Des Moines, Iowa native, Bryson moved to England for almost two decades, then returned to the States. Unfortunately, what could have been another great travelogue ended up as a whiny diatribe against modern America. Yes, we have more drive-up windows, guns, obese tourists, giant RVs, bad visitor centers, greasy diners and "roach motels" than merry olde England, but there must be more than five picturesque places around America. He can only find compliments for a few small towns of perfect quality, and predictably, the old hometown, Des Moines. I guess he's never been to the America I've seen. Chalk this one up to "you can never come home again." Pass the slow traffic in the right lane and read something else.