Notes from No Man's Land

[Chelsea]

Notes from No Man's Land is a great collection of essays regarding the meaning of race and racism in the United States. For some reason, when I started reading this book I assumed each essay would be about a different unrelated topic, but I couldn't have been more wrong. Although it's true each essay is different, they all have the common theme of race, every race. It's not only about African Americans and slavery (although that's included), it's about Mexicans and Native Americans, their cultures and our culture in the US. Her essays are thought provoking and lyrical, with insights into the life of Eula Biss and factual information regarding our countries past. You'd think covering all this information would be difficult, but Biss does an excellent job of telling the story of our country along with the story of herself. She uses repetition but it isn't over the top, her details are necessary, and her factual intrusions were inserted into her stories perfectly. I'd also like to mention that the "Notes" section at the end is a great place to go if you have any questions about her book, even the facts and sources she used throughout it. She does a great job of explaining herself and citing her sources. I would recommend this book to anyone, from people looking for information on racism, to someone simply looking for a good read.