Back Roads and Better Angels: A Journey into the Heart of American Democracy

4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars | 58 ratings

Price: 24.49

Last update: 09-04-2024


Top reviews from the United States

Sean Murray-Nolan
5.0 out of 5 stars What a ride ...
Reviewed in the United States on June 4, 2024
As an avid reader of American history and any kind of roadtrip tale, this book about a cross-country journey married the two with a unique perspective on where we are as a nation. It occasionally has the educational feel of Ken Burns’ work, with the fun asides and light-hearted anecdotes that remind me of Bill Bryson out on the road.

There is a deep thoughtfulness in the writing, and you can almost hear Barry thinking as he speaks about the people and places he visits along his drive with his wife across the USA, from East to West and back again. The places and characters make you feel like you are there alongside them in their RV, and you come away feeling like you have a far greater appreciation of the foundations of our country than you did before. I vacillated often between optimism and pessimism as I read it.

There is much worthy history in the book, such that you get an understanding not only of what we are now, but how we got here. The journey to now as a nation is often deeply sad reading, but I came away knowing far more about the many pieces of our American story that are untold or otherwise willingly forgotten. I come back to the word perspective again, because one gets the sense that while we are in a tough jam now as a nation, we have surely made our way through tough ones before.

I am also envious of their roadtrip. It seems like the kind of thing one might only get to do in retirement, and yet they were able to seize the terrible season of COVID and make something wonderful and informative out of it. There were several times while reading it that I turned to my wife and said ‘We should do something like this.’ That usually indicates you’re in the middle of a great read.
K. Dille
5.0 out of 5 stars Pandemic road trip
Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2024
The length is daunting, but it's a great read and moves relatively quickly. I learned a lot and enjoyed the trip. It captures the era it was written in to a perfect degree while also giving historical examples from important periods in our past that have helped to make us "America.". The narrative brings up interesting parts of American history that aren't taught up in the average classroom. I am better from having read this.
Cathleen A Barthel
5.0 out of 5 stars Timely and Relevant
Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2024
A voice of reason in a time of political divisiveness and violence. Provides hope for our country’s future.
Tracy McNulty
5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended reading
Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2024
This book is a delight! Full of valuable information and beautifully written. There’s a love story threaded through the book - the love between two people on the road, and a love for America.
This book has never been more relevant and important. Highly recommended reading!
Jack McNulty
5.0 out of 5 stars Back roads reveals both hope and possibilities within America's soul, as inspired by A. Lincoln.
Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2024
Frank Barry will take you on a journey which pulls back the curtain of sentimentality, as well as cynicism, and reveals unvarnished insights on our biases as a people, imprinted by the spirit of Lincoln's genius and ingenuity. Buckle up and enjoy a bumpy back road ride.
Barry Lemoine
5.0 out of 5 stars A book to bring us together.
Reviewed in the United States on July 10, 2024
As bleak as things seem sometimes, this book reminds us of the strength and resilience of our people and our country. Back Roads and Better Angels is a great read, but more importantly an important one.
It tells the story of a young married couple's journey across America in a Winnebago using the spirit of Abraham Lincoln and the transcontinental Lincoln Highway as the guide and map for the excursion. The question posed across the journey - what holds our country together and how can we keep it together in such a divisive time.

The book is smart, funny, and enlightening, but also an encouraging reminder that whether it was the Civil War, Civil Rights, or the uncivil tone of social media today, there is still hope. After reading it, you will better understand how we got to where we are and by using Abraham Lincoln’s example, how we can unite and move forward.

Reading Better Angels is a journey worth taking - full of incredible settings, great characters, roundtrip mishaps, and unforgettable memories and ideas that linger long after you close the book. No matter if you lean left or right, red or blue, this is a good book for you as it shines some light onto the soul of our country. And right now, we could all use a little light and little hope right?
Ben B
5.0 out of 5 stars What binds our country together?
Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2024
During these times of deep division and polarization, Barry delivers a timely book to help us reflect on what binds us our country together. He takes us on an enjoyable journey along the Lincoln Highway, but this book is much more than a road trip, it is a listening tour. With an open mind, Barry has insightful discussions with diverse folk in cities, towns and the hinterlands. Barry weaves these discussions, the sage words of Abraham Lincoln, and numerous historical nuggets into this book. Some of the more powerful chapters are on the return trip in the immediate aftermath of the 2020 election and the lead-up to January 6th. Visits to the Borderlands and the Deep South offer fresh perspectives on the controversial topics of border security, immigration and race. Barry recognizes that many of today’s cultural and political disputes are not new but have been around in similar forms since before Lincoln’s time. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will no doubt revisit sections to reinforce my faith in America as we enter another disruptive election cycle.
E. Gootee
5.0 out of 5 stars A Book We Need Now
Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2024
A travelogue, a history lesson, a personal journey filled with stories that make you laugh and make you pause. The author brings together different views from one end of the country to the other as he traveled the Lincoln Highway in a newly purchased Winnebago, searching for the core of who we are as Americans. I learned so much not only in the people he interviewed but also from his thorough research of each stop along the way. Because of the length, I planned on reading it in segments but ended up not being able to put it down. It’s hard to find reasons for hope in our divided country, but this book did offer that glimmer that I was hoping for.

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