God Save Texas by Lawrence Wright *** (of 5)

Lawrence Wright's credentials as an investigative reporter and journalist means that two of his recent books, Going Clear about Scientology and The Looming Tower about Al Qaeda and 9/11 are among my favorite books. Unbeknownst to me before reading God Save Texas,Wright was also a lifelong resident of Texas, a play write, political journalist in the Texas statehouse, movie script writer, cyclist,  barroom musician, birdwatcher, and elite among Texas intellectuals. I know this last bit about elite because he drops a lot of names of other elites he hangs out with.

Probably nearing the end of his career, God Saves Texas is a swan song to Wright's native state. He dutifully recounts the impact of oil wealth on the behavior of Texas millionaires. He spends a goodly portion of the book regaling us with stories of nutcases and eccentrics in Texas's legislature. Austin is weird and about to outgrow its quaint beginnings. Dallas is a lot more multi-cultural than most outsiders recognize. Houston is huge and dominated by oil. Ranchers and ordinary white folk are conservative and getting a lot more conservative very quickly. Texas politicians are rapidly sweeping away rights for women, minorities, LGBTQ, and immigrants. The divide between wealthy and poor Texans is widening toward frightening proportions.

Unfortunately, I'm not impressed. The same book could be written about Indiana, Rhode Island, Oregon, or New Mexico. Wright tried his mightiest, but nothing really convinced me that Texas is nearly as unique as either Wright or the rest of the state's citizens like to think it is.