God Save Texas: A Journey into the Soul of the Lone Star State

by Lawrence Wright

“THIS CITY SPRAWLS over six hundred square miles, an area so big that Chicago, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Detroit could all fit within it simultaneously,” Manny Fernandez, the Houston bureau chief for The New York Times, wrote on Sunday, September 3,

“At times, it seems like the forces pulling us apart are stronger than the forces binding us together,” he said. “Too often, we judge other groups by their worst examples, while judging ourselves by our best intentions.” As he spoke, I wished for the millionth time that he hadn’t invaded Iraq.