Here Is Where: Discovering America’s Great Forgotten History

Carroll (War Letters) takes readers on an eye-opening and entertaining grand tour of America in this lively exploration of lesser-known or overlooked historical sites. From birthplaces to gravesites and high points to low, from those that inspired inventions to those that sparked change, he leaves no stone unturned or landmark unvisited. Bite-sized chapters focusing on a specific destination as well as Carroll’s own personal journey make this an addictive experience—each entry sheds a little more light on the people and locations we’ve forgotten. The reasons for such obscurity vary, but common threads emerge: these places “evoke shame, they’re inaccessible, the original structure is gone, there’s no funding to mark them, they’ve been overshadowed by other events....” Carroll’s task, “to tackle the larger question of what makes them worth remembering at all,” is thus admirable and illuminating. His accessible and informative style invites readers to join him on his quixotic quest to visit everywhere from Niihau, Hawaii (where an incident sparked the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII), to Hart Island (New York City’s infamous potter’s field) and so much more. Part travelogue, part history, this book should be required reading for anyone interested in America’s past. Agent: Miriam Altshuler, Miriam Altshuler Literary Agency. (May)