Slow Road to Brownsville

In Slow Road to Brownsville, Englishman David Reynolds embarks on a road trip along Highway 83, a littleknown twolane highway that runs from Swan River, Manitoba, to the Mexican border at Brownsville, Texas, on the Gulf of Mexico.

Enthralled by the myth of the Wild West and the romance of the open road, Reynolds explores the realities behind both as he makes his way between small towns, gas stations, and motels, hanging out in bars with the locals and learning the stories of this forgotten middle of North America. Along the way he encounters many legendary figures from North American history, including Lewis and Clark, Sitting Bull, Buffalo Bill, Davy Crockett, and even Truman Capote.

David Reynolds was one of the founders of Bloomsbury Publishing and is now a director of Old Street Publishing. He is the author of Swan River: A Memoir of a Family Mystery, which was shortlisted for the PEN/Acklerley Prize for Autobiography and Memoir.

"Immensely illuminating and enjoyable … Books like his prove that good travel writing remains not only very much alive, but essential." -The Bookseller

“Reynolds … rides off, a lone English ranger, into a historical North American hinterland that exists as much in mythical reference as in modern reality. … Ride shotgun with Reynolds as he pit-stops at diners and gas stations, and detours by way of legendary landmarks, where he reflectively enjoys cracker-barrel wisdom, saloon-bar wit, and good-ol’ country wackiness.” -The Times

"A likeable and learned guide... Reynolds’s illuminating, elegantly written travelogue casts an appalled eye on the violence that erupts daily at the point where Route 83 ends." -Financial Times

"[Reynolds] is the perfect man for the route … There might be kicks on Route 66, but there is gentle enlightenment along 83." -Observer

"A fascinating tale…told with great aplomb…I’ve been enjoying his book no end." -Robert Elms

"A great travelogue and history lesson as an open-eyed and adventurous Englishman makes his way down Highway 83." -Willy Vlautin, author of The Free