Backroads of Paradise: A Journey To Rediscover Old Florida

During the Depression the federal government commissioned writers to create guidebooks for every state, including the 1939 Florida: A Guide to the Southernmost State. Salustri, an editor at Creative Loafing Tampa and unabashed lover of Florida, takes to the back roads of the Sunshine State using this nearly 80-year-old manual. On her jaunts, the author compares the descriptions she finds in the book to what she encounters in the present. In some cases much has changed and she bemoans the strip malls, developments, and homogenization that bury Floridian character. Each chapter begins with a map of the state depicting the endpoints of the tour. Meandering through small towns and state parks as well as more familiar destinations such as the Everglades and the Florida Keys, she describes the roadside scenery, history, ecology, and economies of the places she visits; her impressions and childhood memories add a personal touch.