Red Highways

Tired of speaking to like-minded people, San Francisco blogger and radio journalist Rose Aguilar quit her job, bought a Toyota van, picked up her boyfriend, and took off on a six-month road trip through southern and mountain states. There she interviewed a wide array of people who rarely, if ever, appear in the national media. They include a former Republican evangelical pastor who now preaches inclusion in Tulsa; anti-war, pro-choice, and green Republicans; and a Montana hunter planning to leave his job as a conservationist to fight for gay rights.<br><br>This political travelogue challenges stereotypes and goes far beyond the sound bites and statistics to reveal what red-state voters really care about-and what they expect from their political leaders.<br><br>As Aguilar writes in the first chapter, "e;We breathe the same air, we live under the same political system, we've probably seen the same television and news shows, and most of us grew up going to public schools; yet because we might vote differently once every four years, we find ourselves stereotyped in the national media and separated by red and blue borders."e;<br><br><i>Red Highways</i> is a riveting examination of what matters most in the heartland, what makes it tick, and what issues get its citizens to vote.<br><br>