Entry 1- Jackie Mazur

In Memphis Petrusich mentions how Beale Street tries to capture the nostalgic feel but fails. She is amazed by the all the generic souvenir shops and over sized bars. This, of course, she finds to be stupid because it does not show the birthplace of the blues, which she had come to see. The original Beale Street was bulldozed and replaced by an over-the-top faux Beale Street. Since the Beale Street she was hoping to see does not exist she goes on to explain what Beale Street was. Another observation Petrusich made that I found interesting was the road. She says in the book, "Because every good story about America is also a story about the road." This is such a good observation because she is relating the road to history and meaning of America, which makes the road Americana. She explains the road in such great detail saying that it is the gateway to freedom, which is something Americans strive for. Although these are two good examples of the observations she makes, she does tend to stray off topic in some of her paragraphs stating unrelated facts.

Petrusich's observations help me better understand what makes up Americana. Her observations about the roads and how they are shared experiences of everyone helps me to understand that Americana is made up of the experiences of everyone in history and not just those who hold the power. She also brings in the history of what she is describing to help illustrate her points and make them stronger. She observes that the road is not just a literal term for the roads we drive but also the journey people take through their lives.

Petrusich does not only include her thoughts and opinions, she also includes the history of what she is saying to help the reader create their own opinions. She also includes quotes and thoughts from other individuals to integrate different view points into her story. She tries to bring in opposite points like describing city life then going on to describe life in the south so the readers can see exactly what the difference is and can choose for themselves which one has more beauty. She does make it obvious that she believes the south has a more rich history and that it has definite beauty.