State of the Union 1994 by Various and Edited by Richard Caplan and John Feffer - Booked by the Cover

Welcome to the Book by the Cover Blog(cast), a spin on a podcast that I'm not currently able to record or-well-cast.

Today's book is titled: State of the Union, The Clinton Administration and the Nation in Profile-edited by Richard Caplan and John Feffer. Chapter 14, Communities: Building Authority, Responsibility, and Capacity is the chapter that brought us to the cover. 

The cover of this book is quite simple. It's very aquatic-like, which is a great connection to the theme from last week: OCEANS. There seem to be three distinct little ripples. There might be a fourth there in the top corner. Perhaps to acknowledge the year from the title, 1994.

The text of the title and names of the editors are in white as well as the Routledge logo in the bottom left hand corner. Within the title, the main title in bolded and the text below that is not. So, with that in mind, let's plan some travel!

(Remembering.)

I just recently completed the short workshop itinerary for this book. From that, I found the Clinton Presidential Center. This place appears to be an attraction for many different reasons. There are educational programs, events, exhibits, and dining. Plus, the location is next to the water. The restaurant is called Restaurant 42 and is described as a waterfront location. There appear to be relatively consistent events to add to itineraries. The two upcoming events are within the next couple of months, but they are in the middle of the week. That could be a good thing-absolutely. However, it's good to acknowledge that they are in the middle of the week since events are thought to be on the weekend by default. 

(So, there's there.) 

Now let's add some other things to it. There's the year. Let's see what we can find that's all about 1994.

(Ohhh...)

 Interesting. AI says, "Six Flags America: Opened in 1994, this park was a recreation of the American frontier, featuring attractions like Renegade Rapids." Um, rapids?. Um. Yes! Let's see how close/far apart these places are from each other. The Clinton Presidential Center is in Little Rock, Arkansas-not to be confused with the Clinton Foundation that is in New York, New York. Six Flags America is in Bowie, Maryland. [Growing up in Virginia and living in Maryland and DC in my adult life, I can't believe I haven't visited. Perhaps I will some day soon... ] So, the presidential center and theme park are significantly far apart. Let's see about finding something relevant in between.

(Mapping and searching.)

Getting closer to Arkansas through Tennessee, there's Knoxville, Nashville, and Memphis. Ohh, we can think about those ripples as sound waves. These three cities are all pretty well known for being a bit musical; I believe-especially Nashville, right? 

(Confirming/correcting search.)

Yep. That's the place. According to AI, it's known as "Music City". Memphis will be the focus, so this will be a three-city itinerary-adding Memphis to Bowie and Little Rock. 

(Lookin' up stuff in Memphis.)

Now we have what appears to be a surprising turn of events. In this musical city-which fits the design of the book cover, because of the tiny little waves-we have found an even better connection: The National Civil Rights Museum. This "museum" is actually a collection of museums and locations throughout the city, according to Wikipedia. This multi-building situation offers a lovely combination of exploring both musical allusion of the cover and the political themes of the book. The Union-most might say-is historically considered to be more related to the Civil Rights Movement. 

Well that's it for this road trip travel take on the cover of State of the Union 1994.

Please take care and do reach out for help planning added study and right bookings.