cover image A Florida State of Mind: An Unnatural History of Our Weirdest State

A Florida State of Mind: An Unnatural History of Our Weirdest State

James D. Wright. St. Martin’s, $27.99 (224p) ISBN 978-1-250-18565-5

Sociologist Wright’s humorous and inviting guide to the brightest moments and darkest shadows of Florida’s history reveals the reasons why the state is at once attractive and repellent. In brief chapters, Wright recounts Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon’s discovery of the swampy land and his introduction of the orange from China, the growth of the state’s tourism industry, and the development of the space industry at Cape Canaveral. Wright cannily argues that Florida is three states with three very distinct resident cultures: the “cracker culture” of north Florida; the “little Havana” of south Florida; and the culturally diverse I-4 corridor that stretches from Daytona Beach on the east coast to Tampa on the Gulf Coast, cutting through Orlando and Disney World. He briefly profiles some of Florida’s residents, including serial killer Ted Bundy; real-estate con man Jesse Fish; its “best-known washed-up right-wing crooner,” Pat Boone; and the man who inspired Lynyrd Skynyrd’s name—Leonard Skinner, the band members’ phys. ed. teacher at Robert E. Lee High School in Jacksonville. Wright concludes that the state’s heat and humidity, the perception that rules are different in Florida, and the large number of outsiders in the state contribute to the odd behavior of the state’s residents. Wright is an entertaining writer, and his observations on the peculiar state are witty and insightful. (Apr.)