Alex G.

Florida has a fascinating history, and Allman claims to set out to present that history in a reader-friendly way. He aims to combat dated pop-cultural narratives created by roadside attraction advertisers, and other revisionists who stood to profit from a different version of the past. Unfortunately, like so many before him, his ego gets in the way of the truth. Readers are forced to slog through snarky commentary and sloppy attempts to connect hundreds of years of history to the modern meme-borne contemning of the Sunshine State proliferated on social media. As a native-born Floridian and relatively progressive history buff, I found the fumbling critiques throughout this book insufferable, and put it down after the sanctimonious tone carried through 5 full chapters. Whatever your politics or opinions, this book is not for you, as it clearly was meant for an audience of one: Mr. Allman himself.