I grew up with Charles Kuralt. On TV that is. My mother and I eagerly awaited each episode of CBS Sunday Morning from its debut in 1979 until I set off to find my own adventure at college in 1987. It wasn't the news I was interested in, but the human interest stories. And his voice.

Especially his voice.

Kuralt had a way of capturing the attention of my rambunctious 9-year old self with tales of the old, the new, and the slightly off-beat. I credit him with teaching me about storytelling -- something I am still passionate about more than 40 years later. I find myself mimicking his tone and mannerisms when I stand before groups even today.

When I read Charles Kuralt's America, I heard him in my head. It was like going home again.

The book picks up immediately after his retirement from CBS News in 1994. It follows him through a year of adventuring to his favorite places in their favorite seasons.

January - New Orleans
February - Key West
March - Charleston, South Carolina
April - The only chapter that doesn't focus on a specific location, but rather on some interesting aspects of Kuralt's life interspersed with tales of California, Daffodils, and Connecticut
May - Grandfather Mountain, North Carolina
June - Ketchikan, Alaska
July - Ely, Minnesota
August - Boothbay Harbor, Maine
September - Twin Bridges, Montana
October - Woodstock, Vermont
November - Rio Grande Valley, New Mexico
December - New York City

Many of these places are my favorite places, too. Every chapter, save one, provides a peek into culture -- a slice of vanishing Americana -- that I cherish. His tales of New Orleans, Key West, and Alaska especially resonate with me as places I've experienced first hand. Though most (if not all) of the subjects he interviewed are no longer with us and the businesses he patronized are long since closed, he makes me long for more adventure -- to get back on the road and see more of...everything. Only December's New York City failed to hold my interest, but that's because I'm not city born nor raised -- others may find it fascinating.

All in all, a great read. Highly recommended if you are looking for something offbeat. Watch some "On The Road with Charles Kuralt" segments on YouTube before reading it, and you will hear his words in your head, too. ( )

Exploration of American culture by a man who loved people, food, and baseball. ( )

Charles Kuralt hosted a popular Sunday Morning segment on CBS. I loved that show, and Kuralt’s mellifluous baritone voice overs. This book was written after he had retired from television. He spends an entire year going to different states, spending a full month in each state he visits. What does he do with all this free time? He spends it just hanging out, enjoying the weather and the ambience, connecting with old friends, meeting new friends, eating, fishing and enjoying life in general.

Reading this road trip book, I realized that I missed Kuralt’s voice (though I could almost hear it in my head). I really missed the TV film crew’s gorgeous photography. The book does include photos from each state, but they are in black and white, and they are not professional photos but more snapshots. Like I said, I loved the TV show and still miss it; those little vignettes were the perfect way to end the morning news show. An entire book of Kuralt’s musings is a little too much at once. I was reading it at the same time I was reading other books … doling it out in small sections over two weeks. That helped, but this kind of book really has no story arc, and I got bored.
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Wow! A most enjoyable read, it's almost as if I were there talking to the people Mr. Kuralt interviewed in his travels instead of himself. If you wish to learn a lot of history of what made this country as great as it is, then this is the one to read. ( )

Absolutely wonderful!

If you liked his CBS The Sunday Morning Show, this reads just like he was on the show. Beautifully written. A complete joy to read. ( )