All kind of depth in his journey--I could read ten of these

American Places:
A Writer's Pilgrimage to 16 of This Country's Most Visited and Cherished Sites
by William Zinsser

This is a book beyond superlatives. He goes to places we've read about or heard about for all of our lives, and at each one he asks, why? Why do we go here?  What does it tell us about ourselves? About our country?

In a time when the news is all about lies and corruption and the evil men do in the quest for power--

There is no good and evil, there is only power and those too weak to seek it.
--Voldemort

It was a refreshment to read about Mount Vernon, the estate of a reluctant leader who preferred to be back at home, digging in the earth and planting trees. It was a delight to visit Appatomax, where Grant send Lee's soldiers home with their horses so they could get their planting done; where the northern soldiers shared their rations with the conquered foes; and gave them a soldier's salute as
 they came to lay down their weapons.

Mr. Zinsser went to many places, from Montgomery Alabama to Niagara Falls to Kitty Hawk. And in all of them he found hope for the future. We could all use some of that now.