The National Road by Tom Zoellner

 

From the time Tom Zoellner got his driver's license as a teenager, he loved to hit the road and drive.  He didn't like the interstates as much as the little known roads, the small monuments most people never visited, the small towns most had never heard of.  In this book, he shares his travels and tells of his life as a journalist.  It is a collection of essays about various things he has seen or been involved with.

He starts by telling of his visits to Mormon shrines and in the telling, talks about the religion.  Those not familiar with the history of the Mormons will find much of interest here as he roams as they did, as they were forced out of various towns and pushed westward until they settled in Salt Lake City.  He talks about the best places to sleep outside or in one's car.  He talks about the porn industry, the state of journalism and how it could have avoided the dwindling down of its industry.  

Other essays talk about visiting every state's capitol or the highest peak in the state.  He talks about the divisions in the country and how they seem to be increasing.  A poignant essay talks about the destruction of his family home where they had lived since before the state was a state and how it was bought to be torn down to build a Macmansion.  

Tom Zoellner has written quite a few nonfiction books on various topics.  This one is not only a travelogue but a view into his own life and his time as a journalist on various newspapers.  One of his books on the end of slavery in Britain won the National Book Critic's Circle Award for the best nonfiction book of 2020.  This one is softer and readers will enjoy getting to know the authors as well as the places he visits.  This book is recommended for nonfiction readers.