American Journeys

On the United States of America my senses swing like a door with no latch. They are moved by fierce gusts and imperceptible zephyrs. Love and loathing come and go in about the same proportion.

... thinking that it was in the 'nature' of America to be brutal, racist and imperialistic, a paradox appears. The Freedom Marchers had been Americans. Martin Luther King was American. Sidney Perelman was American. Mark Twain was American. Portnoy was American. Louis Armstrong, Bob Dylan, William Appleman Williams, Herbert Marcuse and Robert Crumb were all American. Our jeans were American. The most articulate critics of America - the most articulate people on earth, and the most liberal - were American. The America of my most avid anti-American phase was the America of my first rational adult heroes. That paradox, greatly modified though it is, animates me still.

Although Don Watson is talking about Vietnam and a different generation of Americans, I know exactly what he means. My heroes would be Jack Kerouac, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Cruise in Top Gun and Bob Mould; the Prince of Darkness would be Ronald Reagan. Even so it is uncanny how well he articulates the schizophrenic relationship most of the inhabitants of the rest of the world has with America.

The introduction to Don's American Journey contains some of the best writing you will find about the USA. The account of his travels is fascinating and entertaining, but doesn't quite match up to the power, clarity and simplicity of his initial thoughts.

It starts well, with a visit to New Orleans soon after Hurricane Katrinia, where he seems equally bemused by the inept government response and by the religious volunteers who stepped in to fill the void. The journey loses a bit of focus after that and, although he is an interesting travel companion, what he encounters isn't always that interesting. The historical detail is excellent, there are some wonderful asides and he does visit some fascinating places that don't often figure in travel itineraries, but if I was feeling uncharitable I would say it often felt more like a publisher's advance in search of an odyssey rather than the other way round.

But don't let that put you off. It is still a great read, even it doesn't quite live up to the promise of the first thirteen pages. And Watson is particularly good on America's mind-boggling contradictions, its immense diversity and intricate social structures. He also captures the spirit of the populace's optimism and potential, as he says: 'one also sees startling unselfconscious acts of grace and generosity that might only be possible when something childlike and raw remains in the spirit of the place'.