Status Updates From The Last American Road Trip...

“James, the most vicious of the lot, was forgiven for his crimes. He was white, entertaining, and an alleged foe of the government; in other words, an ideal American.” (2/2)

“The makeover of Jesse James was part of a broader mid-century rehabilitation of slave owners including Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett. Their biographies were rewritten by Hollywood’s cowboys-and-Indians culture, softened to appeal to 10-year-old boys and the 10-year-old boy in every man.” (1/2)

I needed a palette cleanser and I saw this in a bookstore in Cleveland this past weekend. I love Sarah Kendzior’s writing even though her subject matter scares the shit out of me.

I fear this might be contributing to a rough reading slump I'm in and might have to dnf for my mental health, lol

So far, this is good in a lot of ways, though some of it is extremely heavy and bleak. I've caught a couple of conspiratorial dogwhistles, which is tough because a lot of the things they point to aren't untrue. Kendzior's tendency to have every anecdote come crashing down in a miserable way makes me hope she's got a really good therapist.