NATIONAL BESTSELLER • "James and Deborah Fallows have always moved to where history is being made.... They have an excellent sense of where world-shaping events are taking place at any moment" —The New York Times • The basis for the HBO documentary streaming on HBO Max For five years, James and Deborah Fallows have travelled across America in a single-engine prop airplane. Visiting dozens of towns, the America they saw is acutely conscious of its problems—from economic dislocation to the opioid scourge—but it is also crafting solutions, with a practical-minded determination at dramatic odds with the bitter paralysis of national politics. At times of dysfunction on a national level, reform possibilities have often arisen from the local level. The Fallowses describe America in the middle of one of these creative waves. Their view of the country is as complex and contradictory as America itself, but it also reflects the energy, the generosity and compassion, the dreams, and the determination of many who are in the midst of making things better. Our Towns is the story of their journey—and an account of a country busy remaking itself.

Prostitution, gambling, moonshine and drugs could all be found behind closed the closed doors of Danville, VA from 1919 to 1933. During Prohibition, the "Law and Order League," of Danville was, of course, "dry," but the city's mayor was personally was known to be "personally wet," and in 1911 citizens were shocked to discover that the police chief was a fugitive from a murder conviction in Georgia. That same period saw lynching, murders and the wreck of the Old '97. HP authors Frankie Bailey and Alice Green will examine the law and disorder of Prohibition era Danville with Wicked Danville: Crime, Justice, and Prohibition in a Southside Virginia City.

An illustrated history of Gregg County, Texas, paired with histories of the local companies.

Though a relatively young city, San Ramon has history stretching back to California's founding. Ohlone Indians first inhabited the area before rancheros grazed the land more than a century ago. Drawn by the Gold Rush, pioneers and prospectors settled the place promoters labeled a "Garden of Eden." Diversified farming of the valley, full of orchards and plentiful fields, sustained the rural population. Sitting in the shadow of historic Mount Diablo, San Ramon is a growing city recognized for its extraordinary parks, schools and active citizenry. Local author Beverly Lane brings to life San Ramon's vibrant past.

Located in South Central Virginia on the North Carolina border, Danville remains one of the most dynamic destinations in the state. The geographic region that is now Danville was home to the Morotock Indians in the 1600s and frequented by traders as early as 1673. It was not until the late 1700s that the Virginia General Assembly was petitioned to establish a Tobacco Inspection Site along the Dan River. On November 23, 1793, the Assembly approved the request and decreed that 25 acres south of the river be founded as the Town of Danville. The city's first cotton mill was constructed in 1828, and five years later the town became the City of Danville. The town served as the last capital of the Confederacy during the Civil War and was also the site of the infamous "Wreck of the Old 97"--inspiration for the popular ballad. In the more than 200 years since its founding, Danville's rich history has been driven by tobacco and textile markets.