By David Kirk, Times West Virginian
FAIRMONT, W.Va. — Despite all his travels, Evan Osnos remains affected by his time living in North Central West Virginia where he began his career as a reporter for The Exponent Telegram.
Years later, after traveling the world, his experiences in the Mountain State play a major role in his new book “Wildland: The Making of America’s Fury.”
“The book is about my experience in trying to understand how American politics became so divided,” said Osnos, who is now a writer for The New Yorker. “I decided if I wanted to understand it, I should go to places where I’ve lived because then I may be able to get some sense of change over time.”
The three places Osnos highlights in his book are Greenwich, Connecticut; Chicago, and Clarksburg. Each locale represents a different piece of America and each city has experienced a political shift over the last 15 years.
The book attempts to make sense of the journey of American politics in a practical way through stories and perspectives of residents from these different areas…