The Rough Guide to USA

by Samantha Cook, Greg Ward, Tim Perry

INTRODUCTION For five centuries, travelers have brought their hopes and dreams to America. For the earliest pioneers, it was a virgin wilderness ready to be shaped into a "New World," a potential paradise wasted on its native peoples. Millions of immigrants followed, to share in the building of the new nation and to better their lives, far from the hidebound societies of Europe and Asia. Eventually, slaves, who had been shipped over from Africa and the Caribbean, joined them as free citizens. As the United States expanded to fill the continent, something genuinely new was a vast country that took pride in defining itself in the eyes of the world. Every traveler in the United States – be they foreigners on a coast-to-coast road trip or locals exploring their extraordinarily diverse land – has some idea of what to expect. American culture has become so thoroughly shared throughout the globe that one of the principal joys of getting to know the country is the repeated, delicious shock of the familiar. Yellow taxis on busy city streets; roadside mailboxes straight out of Peanuts cartoons; wooden porches overlooking the cottonfields; tumbleweed skittering across the desert; endless highways dotted with pick-up trucks and chrome-plated diners; the first sight of the Grand Canyon, or the Manhattan skyline – now more than ever an indelibly iconic image. In this book, we’ve picked out the highlights across the entire USA, from Maine to Hawaii, and Alaska to Florida. We’ve divided the country region by region and state by state, and covered every area of every state. As well as the big cities and national parks, we’ve explored the highways and byways, singling out detours worth making, and places to avoid. For every area covered, we’ve done more than simply provide up-to-date we’ve delved into the history and provided background on the people who have made America what it is. Our hope is to inform and entertain travelers, and to point in unexpected directions as well as to the obvious landmarks, no matter whether you’ve lived here all your life or are seeing it all for the first time.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Reference, The United States Of America

Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

Reviews

[Chloe Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favourite non-fiction book is the story of Britain by Mick Manning and Brita Granstrom because I like the illustrations with the use of speech bubbles as it make it more appealing to children. The timeline on the bottom of the pages is a good touch as well, it is also not too complicated so it is easier for children to understand. There is also a range of diagrams. The use of subheadings helps you to find a certain piece of information and he events go on from the stone age to the 21st century. The text is presented in two different fonts which makes the pages more interesting. The book is cartoon like with the illustrations which may be easier for children to understand and it could be used with younger children too. The book is one I would have in my classroom to use in history as it can be used as a starting point for a topic. Each time period can be related to other subjects such as science in looking at materials, geography looking at other places and perhaps dance. English can be linked to history well such as diary or letter writing. Children can further their knowledge and use ICT to extend their knowledge and perhaps present their information in different formats. The titles on the page stand out and fit well with the presentation of the book. Some words would have to be explained or explored as children may not understand them. I am passionate about history and this gives a good overview about the history of Britain without being too complex. Most pages have a big picture which is more prominent and then a few smaller pictures. This book is more suited to primary aged children due to its presentation. Teachers could select the parts of the book relevant to study and perhaps display them. there are also talking points from the book as you could children questions to engage their thinking such as would you like to have lived in the stone age?

[Paddy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought a Rough Guide since it seemed the most useful to non-automobile travellers. It lived up to expectations. The size of the US necessarily means there can't be a lot of detail, but I found it quite useful.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great, honest and independent guide to the USA.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Browsed for brainstorming purposes - seems like a good overview