How Long to Read Across America and Back

How Long Does it Take to Read Across America and Back?

It takes the average reader 4 hours and 38 minutes to read Across America and Back by Mary Ann Hooper

Assuming a reading speed of 250 words per minute. Learn more

Description

After unearthing her great-grandparents’ diaries, Mary Ann Hooper set out on a journey to retrace their 1871 trip across the United States on the newly-opened Transcontinental Railroad—via Chicago, just destroyed by the Great Fire, then across the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains to the Golden City of San Francisco. Filled with rich details of time, place, and culture, Mary Ann’s thoughtful and compelling narrative is both a re-creation of a family journey and a thoughtful account of how the American West has changed over the last 150 years. Using the common thread of the same train trip across the American landscape, she weaves together the two stories—her great grandparents, Charles and Fannie Crosby’s leisurely Victorian tourist trip described in both their diaries—and her own trip. Mary Ann’s adventurous and determined voice fills the pages with entertaining encounters on the train, escapades on her folding bike, and her reflections on her birth country and her own life story. During her journey, she discovers the stories of her 1950s childhood reflect a “Wild West” at odds with the West her great-grandparents record in their diaries, leading her to uncover more of the real and meatier history of the American West—going through conquest, rapid settlement, and economic development. As Mary Ann fulfills her quest to understand better why glorified myths were created to describe the Wild West of her childhood, and reflects on the pitfalls of what “progress” is doing to the environment, she is left with a much bigger question: Can we transform our way of doing things quickly enough to stop our much-loved West becoming an uninhabitable desert?

How long is Across America and Back?

Across America and Back by Mary Ann Hooper is 274 pages long, and a total of 69,596 words.

This makes it 92% the length of the average book. It also has 85% more words than the average book.

How Long Does it Take to Read Across America and Back Aloud?

The average oral reading speed is 183 words per minute. This means it takes 6 hours and 20 minutes to read Across America and Back aloud.

What Reading Level is Across America and Back?

Across America and Back is suitable for students ages 12 and up.

Note that there may be other factors that effect this rating besides length that are not factored in on this page. This may include things like complex language or sensitive topics not suitable for students of certain ages.

When deciding what to show young students always use your best judgement and consult a professional.

Where Can I Buy Across America and Back?

Across America and Back by Mary Ann Hooper is sold by several retailers and bookshops. However, Read Time works with Amazon to provide an easier way to purchase books.

To buy Across America and Back by Mary Ann Hooper on Amazon click the button below.