For the last four years Renkl's writing has offered readers of the New York Times a weekly dose of natural beauty, human decency, and persistent hope from her home in Nashville. This collection of her essays provide a patchwork quilt of the complexities of her homeland, demonstrating along the way how much more there is to this tangled region than many people understand. As she highlights people who are fighting for a better future of the region, Renkl's book is full of gifts for Southerners and non-Southerners alike.