NetNews

Brian Mann, a reporter for St. Lawrence University-based North Country Public Radio, has published his first book, Welcome to the Homeland, which the publisher describes as a "unique blend of travelogue, political analysis, and family memoir."

The book, published by Random House, is available now, although the "official" release date is September 1, 2006. The book is, according to its publishers, an exploration of how "Homelanders - Mann's name for the nation's 50 million rural whites - have managed to dominate the conservative base of the Republican party, the Senate, and the Supreme Court, and to use the electoral college, which favors small states, to their advantage. Ultimately, Homelanders are fighting to create a new national culture, one rooted in the traditional values of 19th-century America."

Mann has covered rural America for 20 years, working for public radio stations and networks from Alaska to New York. His award-winning stories appear regularly on NPR's "Morning Edition" and "All Things Considered." In 2005, Mann won separate national and regional Edward R. Murrow Awards: for coverage of the Iraq War and its impact on small towns, and for his reporting on the rural heroin epidemic. He grew up in rural Alaska and lives in the Adirondack region. In addition to working as a reporter and editor for North Country Public Radio, he is a commentator for Mountain Lake Public Television.

More information: WelcomeToTheHomeland.com, Mann's site, which includes a full schedule of appearances and events related to the book release.

Random House book site

Posted: August 2, 2006