Flyover Nation: You Can't Run a Country You've Never Been To

According to right-wing radio and television host Loesch (Hands Off My Gun), in terms of political affiliation and cultural differences, America comprises two separate "nations": the liberal elites of the East and West Coast, and the conservative "flyover nation" that encompasses the rest of the continental states. Loesch's unapologetic defense of middle America breaks down the current problems in the country with much flair and sass. Part political commentary and part autobiography, the book at times gets bogged down in the author's generalizations, which pin many of the country's ills squarely on those who live and breathe on either coast, but she shines when writing about her childhood, tying her rural Ozark upbringing and Christian faith to her political change of heart in her early 20s. Loesch urges coastal elites to heed the values of people with upbringings like hers, and not to belittle and ignore those whom President Obama once described as "bitter" in clinging to guns and religion. The author's proud rhetoric, which will please fans, will not win over those on the other side of the aisle, and it also runs the risk of alienating otherwise sympathetic readers living on either of the dreaded coasts. (June)