MY BICENTENNIAL SUMMER

Neri embarked on an unforgettable journey when he crisscrossed the U.S. with his parents and two older brothers in 1976.

“All my stories begin with some experience I’ve had out on the road,” Neri reveals—including this book. Thus far, he’s been to 48 of the 50 states and to such faraway destinations as Antarctica and Siberia. His adventurous spirit was spurred at age 8, when his mother suggested that the family commemorate the Bicentennial with a road trip: “We could be in Washington, DC, for the Fourth of July!” Their 1967 station wagon was equipped with a pop-up tent trailer as they prepared to drive 8,000 miles through 26 states in seven weeks. Highlights were many: the Grand Canyon, Gettysburg, New York City, Chicago, St. Louis, Las Vegas, and Texas, where they visited Neri’s cousins. Neri acknowledges the challenges of tight quarters and occasional breakdowns. He’s also sensitive to less celebratory details: Confederate flags, a visit to a former slave plantation, immigrant roundups, racial and economic inequality. Artist Wilkin returns for a third collaboration, transforming Neri’s adventures into eye-popping multilayered collages of maps, photographs (both personal and stock), doodled lists, and detailed illustrations. His cartoon version of expressive young Neri in striped shirt and “Bing Surfboards hat” is particularly affecting. Neri and his family, all with brown skin, are of Mexican, Filipino, and Creole descent.

An indelible family adventure exploring all things American—the good, bad, and ugly.