Almost Heaven: Travels Through the Backwoods of America

Description

After seven years as Washington correspondent of "The Times", Martin Fletcher set off to explore the great American "boondocks" - the raw and untamed land far from the cities and national parks. This is his account of a journey which took him to places few tourists would ever visit, to communities largely unknown to outsiders, to the quintessential America. He encounters snake-handlers, moonshiners, creationists, outlaws, polygamists, white supremacists, and communities preparing for Armageddon. He goes bear hunting in West Virginia, fur trapping in Louisiana, diamond digging in Arkansas, and gold prospecting in Nevada.

Martin Fletcher was educated at Edinburgh University and the University of Pennsylvania. He joined THE TIMES in 1983, became its Washington correspondent in 1989, and US editor in 1993. Married with three children, he is now based in Belfast.

'Surprising, entertaining and original' SUNDAY TIMES 'A gourmet's guide to the boondocks' INDEPENDENT 'Sharply detailed and warmly insightful ... fascinating and consistently enlightening, wonderfully funny and unbelievably true' TIME OUT 'A well-observed, warm-hearted travelogue, with plenty of good humour and a cast of amazing characters' TLS 'Filled with the sort of wonderful detail and lively dialogue that graces the best of 19th-century British travel writings' TIME 'The real strength of a travel writer is to be able to match an insider's knowledge with an outsider's fresh eye and Fletcher is enthusiastically and eruditely adept at both.' SCOTSMAN 'His [Fletcher's] astounding report of its inhabitants- bear hunters, snake-handling fundamentalists, lost tribes- is observed without judgement or sensationalism.' MAIL ON SUNDAY 'I found his warm and subtly humourous style very appealing, and I highly recommend this book.' INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY