Back Roads and Better Angels

“Enlightening and inspiring.” — Walter Isaacson, #1 New York Times best-selling biographer

“This book ought to be read by Democrats, Republicans, and independents — and I should know, since I’ve been all three. It’s for all of us who want to put the ‘united’ back in the United States of America.” — Michael R. Bloomberg

“Barry probes the American soul, finding its biases, but also, nurtured by its complicated past, our better angels — with an opportunity to move forward.” — Ken Burns

“For a road trip across the country’s political divisions, there’s no better guide than an Indiana kid, Abe Lincoln — and the songs of America. This book helps us hear both — and those mystic chords we need to recapture — more clearly.” — John Mellencamp

“It is a joy to hit the road with Frank Barry. With erudition, humor and a deep love of country, he offers a fascinating trip into the heart of our history.” — Ted Widmer, author of Lincoln on the Verge

“In the traditions of Blue Highways and Confederates in the Attic, Back Roads and Better Angels — by turns elegiac and hopeful — is required reading in a season when the clouds still have yet to lift from over our democracy.” — Kevin Baker, author of The New York Game

“Inspirational and optimistic.” — Rick Wilson, on The Lincoln Project Podcast

“A Terrific ride … and a masterpiece.” — Pete Dominick, on Stand up!

“Not just a great summer read but an important one.” — Stephanie Ruhle, on The 11th Hour

“A terrific read.” — Sam Roberts, on The New York Times Close Up

“Barry is an amiable tour guide, inserting comic interludes and personal commentary to buffer unflinching descriptions of everything from colonization to the Civil War to the pandemic and 2020 election.” — Booklist

“Fans of road trips, blue highways, and backwater Americana will enjoy traveling vicariously with the author.” — Kirkus Reviews

Francis S. Barry is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist and member of the editorial board covering national affairs. He served as chief speechwriter to Mayor Michael Bloomberg during the 2020 presidential campaign and in New York’s City Hall, where he also helped lead a variety of government and election reform initiatives. He is the author of The Scandal of Reform and holds degrees from the University of Notre Dame and New York University.

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