Almost Heaven

Martin Fletcher spent seven years as the Washington correspondent for The Times. He then left the capital to travel through the rugged, unsettled parts of the United States that lie well beyond its famous cities and national parks, the places people call the boondocks. His route leads him away from tourist trails to remote communities that most outsiders have never heard of, places that are in many ways the heart of the country.

Along the way he meets snake handlers, moonshiners, creationists, outlaws, polygamists, white supremacists and groups bracing for Armageddon. Among his activities are a bear hunt in West Virginia, trapping furs in Louisiana, digging for diamonds in Arkansas and panning for gold in Nevada. His portraits range from the eccentric but kind to the thoroughly strange, showing the preoccupations, prejudices and customs of people in America's backwaters.