The 10 : A Memoir of Family and the Open Road

From the Vanity Fair and New York Times contributor comes a "masterful blend of humor, heartache, and unforgettable landscapes" (Adrienne Brodeur, New York Times bestselling author of Wild Game)—a powerful memoir of a solo cross-country road trip along Route 10 through the American southwest.

Driving her trusty minivan "Minnie," E.A. Hanks retraces the route of a memorable road trip she once took with her mother, seeking to understand the complex woman who shaped her life. On a mission to uncover what harrowing violence may or may not have happened to her late mother, she's also searching for something more personal: where her mother ends and she begins. Along the way, as she follows her mother's diaries and her own recollections of the route, she begins to uncover secrets—some unexpectedly wonderful, and others darker and more violent than she ever imagined—that bring more questions than answers.

From the quiet expanses of White Sands National Park to the bustling streets of New Orleans, and the Texas-Mexico border to the swamps of the Florida panhandle, she interacts with the amazing breadth and diversity of the people that call these places home. Reckoning with the past, the present, her memories, and herself, Hanks brings us along on a poignant journey, revealing how the stories tied to the places we come from shape the narratives of who we are.