God Save Texas: A Journey into the Soul of the Lone Star State - Hardcover

Advance praise for God Save Texas

"One of the state's most renowned writers takes readers deep into the heart of Texas. As a staffer for The New Yorker and a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Wright has illuminated a variety of intriguing subcultures. His native Texas is as exotic as any of them. He approaches his subject on a number of levels: as a stereotype, a movie myth, a cultural melting pot, a borderland, a harbinger of what is to come in an increasingly polarized and conservative country, and as a crucible that has shaped the character of a young writer who couldn't wait to escape but was drawn back . . . A revelation." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Advance praise for God Save Texas

"Takes readers on a trek through Texas from the dawn of the Republic to the 2016 election, and Texas space, from Houston to Marfa, Dallas to El Paso. Along the way, God Save Texas maps both the light and dark soul of the state . . . Organized by themes and geography, Wright drills deep into Texas politics, arts, culture, big cities, border, and energy. Wright's often-humorous voice becomes a trusted guide when discovering Texas's lost stories as well as confronting painful tragedies." --Tarra Gaines, Arts and Culture Texas

"The grand scale of Texas, and the sheer range of its places and people--Houston to El Paso, the Panhandle to the Valley--is inevitably compelling to any writer, and Wright is happy just trying to get his arms around it all." --Michael King, Austin Chronicle

"An impressive ode to the Lone Star State . . . In a balanced tone, this narrative examines Texas's historical, political, and social fabric that make the present tapestry, revealing a portrait of one of the most perplexing American states. . . . Masterful." --Jacob Sherman, Library Journal (starred review)

"This thoughtful, engrossing, and often-amusing survey is a kind of 'waltz through Texas.' . . . It is a state whose history, politics and culture Wright finds endearing, repelling, and puzzling, all dependent upon which aspect he is exploring and describing . . . An important book about a state and people who will continue to have a large impact on the U.S." --Jay Freeman, Booklist (starred review)

"An unflinching look at Texas--the state where Wright has spent most of his life--in all its grandeur and contradictions. . . . Wright's large-scale portrait, which reveals how Texas is only growing in influence, is comprehensive, insightful, and compulsively entertaining." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"One of the state's most renowned writers takes readers deep into the heart of Texas. As a staffer for The New Yorker and a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Wright has illuminated a variety of intriguing subcultures. His native Texas is as exotic as any of them. He approaches his subject on a number of levels: as a stereotype, a movie myth, a cultural melting pot, a borderland, a harbinger of what is to come in an increasingly polarized and conservative country, and as a crucible that has shaped the character of a young writer who couldn't wait to escape but was drawn back . . . A revelation." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

LAWRENCE WRIGHT is a staff writer for The New Yorker and the author of nine previous books of nonfiction, including In the New World, Remembering Satan, The Looming Tower, Going Clear, Thirteen Days in September, and The Terror Years, and one novel, God's Favorite. His books have received many prizes and honors, including a Pulitzer Prize for The Looming Tower. He is also a playwright and screenwriter. He is a longtime resident of Austin.