Award-winning journalist Eugene L. Meyer directs a tour across the "Free State" that is part love letter, part oral history, part obituary. He explores what makes Maryland special, the people who make it unique, and the places and livelihoods that have vanished over the years. The whole of the American experience is found within the state's borders and between the covers of this book--megalopolis, Appalachia, Chesapeake Bay, Deep South, industrial North, rich farmland, a major port and the primary car and rail routes along the East Coast.
Professional Reviews
James H. Bready, Baltimore Sun
Meyer is our own Marco Polo, balancing interviews, explanatory background and lively commentary.
Anne Tyler, Washington Post Book World
The state emerges entire: colorful and passionate and full of character, a collection of gritty, indomitable individuals.
Washington History
Meyer records his travels in clear and graceful prose, giving the reader a succinct view of some of the struggles facing Maryland settlers, early and late...Using his considerable talents as a reporter, Meyer draws the history and flavor of Maryland from the people who live and work there...Meyer is so good at capturing the Eastern Shore manner of speech that words fairly fly off the page...
