Sunshine States: Wild Times and Extraordinary Lives in the Land of Gators, Guns, and Grapefruit (Florida Sand Dollar Book)

"As a chronicler of American travels, Carr falls somewhere between Charles Dickens and Crocodile Dundee."—Los Angeles Times

"A thorough reporter, a careful listener, and a perceptive observer. . . . A book that is as reasonable as it is winning."—Jonathan Yardley, Washington Post

"One of the best—and funniest—pieces of action journalism to come along since Tom Wolfe."—Toronto Globe and Mail

Florida’s soundtrack is the ultra-high-voltage din of cultures slapped together, of people wired for everything from the fabulous to the fatal. In seven pieces that describe their stories, dreams, and nightmares, journalist Patrick Carr writes about the fascinating Floridians whose lives are the reality of the Sunshine State. They include alligator hunters near Lakeland, water warriors in Tampa, narcotics cops and political refugees in Miami, a Seminole chief in the Glades, and a cracker sage at Fisheating Creek.
Like all transplants, Carr says, he loves Florida for what it isn’t—cold and old—and for what it is—hot and wild. His compassionate, spirited, and often funny action journalism captures the character of a frontier paradise.

Patrick Carr’s journalism has appeared in the New York Times, Rolling Stone, Village Voice, and many other magazines and newspapers. His books include Gun People(with George Gardner), Backstage Passes (with Angela Bowie), Cash (with Johnny Cash), and The Illustrated History of Country Music. Born in England, he has lived in Tampa, Florida, since the early 1980s.