Spying On The South: An Odyssey Across The American Divide

"In the 1850s, as the nation edged closer to civil war, an undercover reporter set off on a journey south. He was Frederick Law Olmsted, celebrated today as the visionary architect of Central Park. Olmsted was an avowed abolitionist, and for more than a year he traveled across the nation’s fault line – between free and slave states – trying to understand the angry debate consuming the country. Fast-forward to 2016, and another reporter – Tony Horwitz – re-creates Olmsted’s journey. Echoes of the fault line remain, this time among red states and blue: extreme polarization, racial strife and anger drowning out reasoned debate. It’s a delightful book for anyone interested in history, politics, landscape architecture and places far off the beaten track. And it turned out to be Horwitz’s last gift to his readers – he died the month it was published."