madi's review against another edition
5.0
Maximum Sunlight takes us on a trip through Tonopah, Nevada- a town I had never heard of, let alone thought I would be emotionally drawn to, but here I am, planning a trip to the Clown Hotel.
I found this book on the street; my neighbor was giving away books and the cover drew me to it. It was a minimalist but striking color photograph of the desert. I had it on my own bookshelf for about a year and then realized it was released by Wolfman Books, who put out Color Theory this year which I really admired, so I picked it up.
I’ll be honest- I wasn’t expecting to like it. My initial reaction after reading the back was: Journalism? Small town in Nevada? Sounds boring. And maybe that was my urban close-mindedness that the book is trying to address, because after the first chapter I was all about it, telling all my friends random tidbits from it and trying to loan them the book when I finished.
Day manages to walk this line between objective journalism and curiosity without coming off as judgmental or naive, and it seems the members of the town agree, the way they respond to her questions and general presence in the town.
Overall, very well done, and the accompanying photographs are great as they break up the sections and allow us to see some of the landmarks mentioned in each chapter. It’s a quick and pleasant read and it moves swiftly through the desert. I feel like I know the people mentioned in the story now, like I met them in my own travels.
Thank you Meagan for letting your audience live vicariously through your tales.
I found this book on the street; my neighbor was giving away books and the cover drew me to it. It was a minimalist but striking color photograph of the desert. I had it on my own bookshelf for about a year and then realized it was released by Wolfman Books, who put out Color Theory this year which I really admired, so I picked it up.
I’ll be honest- I wasn’t expecting to like it. My initial reaction after reading the back was: Journalism? Small town in Nevada? Sounds boring. And maybe that was my urban close-mindedness that the book is trying to address, because after the first chapter I was all about it, telling all my friends random tidbits from it and trying to loan them the book when I finished.
Day manages to walk this line between objective journalism and curiosity without coming off as judgmental or naive, and it seems the members of the town agree, the way they respond to her questions and general presence in the town.
Overall, very well done, and the accompanying photographs are great as they break up the sections and allow us to see some of the landmarks mentioned in each chapter. It’s a quick and pleasant read and it moves swiftly through the desert. I feel like I know the people mentioned in the story now, like I met them in my own travels.
Thank you Meagan for letting your audience live vicariously through your tales.
bobbytrucktricks's review against another edition
4.0
Quick read about an interesting place I would never have heard of otherwise. I know Meagan Day's writing from her work in Jacobin, which I usually like. This is very different and really good.
jlmartin's review against another edition
4.0
Unique, interesting, short read combined with moody and beautiful photography. Worth picking up for a change of pace.
bibliocyclist's review
5.0
At twilight, you can't tell what a shadow entails.
The nation draws a blank on rural Nevada.
The nation draws a blank on rural Nevada.
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