What do you think?
Rate this book
States of Mind: A Personal Journey Through the Mid-Atlantic
A Pulitzer Prize-winning critic details his personal odyssey through Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, and Washington, D.C, discovering his roots and observing life in the Mid-Atlantic states.
- GenresTravel
289 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1993
1 person is currently reading
11 people want to read
About the author
Jonathan Yardley
18 books12 followersJonathan Yardley is a book critic, journalist, and biographer, and the recipient of the 1981 Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.
From 1981 to 2014, he was chief book critic for the Washington Post, where he combined scathingly frank reviews with an appreciation for new talent. He championed the early careers of Michael Chabon, Edward P. Jones, and Anne Tyler, among others.
In addition to biographies of Ring Lardner and Frederick Exley, Yardley published Our Kind of People: The Story of an American Family , a wry memoir about his WASP parents. Second Reading , his most recent book, collects the series of Post columns in which he reconsidered notable or neglected books from the past.
From 1981 to 2014, he was chief book critic for the Washington Post, where he combined scathingly frank reviews with an appreciation for new talent. He championed the early careers of Michael Chabon, Edward P. Jones, and Anne Tyler, among others.
In addition to biographies of Ring Lardner and Frederick Exley, Yardley published Our Kind of People: The Story of an American Family , a wry memoir about his WASP parents. Second Reading , his most recent book, collects the series of Post columns in which he reconsidered notable or neglected books from the past.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 13, 2021
Mr. Yardley describes several trips, taken over the course of a year or two, as he visits every state in the Mid - Atlantic (although I still question the inclusion of North Carolina!).
I picked up this book because I am also from the Mid-Atlantic region, and I’m familiar with many of the places he describes. The author was a writer for a major newspaper, so there’s no question about his writing ability, which is always a worry with books like this.
The book is interesting and well-written, but the author gets a little snarky and/or cranky, particularly near the end.
I picked up this book because I am also from the Mid-Atlantic region, and I’m familiar with many of the places he describes. The author was a writer for a major newspaper, so there’s no question about his writing ability, which is always a worry with books like this.
The book is interesting and well-written, but the author gets a little snarky and/or cranky, particularly near the end.
May 10, 2022
This is one wonderful trip. Taken over a period of time, these journeys around the mid-atlantic are very familiar to me as I grew up and still live in this region. Brought back wonderfully by Mr. Yardley many of the places he visited are no longer there, such as Williamsburg Pottery. He also was able to bring me to tears in his description of falling in love with the Baltimore Orioles in 1979 in Memorial Stadium. What a great organization in those days and I miss them dearly. This is a book that I would read again.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews