“A rich and lively history of Florida, minus the Disney gloss. . . . [Allman] shatters five centuries of mythmaking to tell the real story . . . A splendid rendering of the messy human story of our fourth-most populous state.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Gripping.” —Steve Yoder, Salon.com

“Wonderful . . . Allman brings the same skepticism in researching the state’s past as he did to covering the wars in Southeast Asia in the Sixties and Seventies.” —The Daily Beast

“Tangy [and] aphoristic … no one can read [this] book and ever again think of Florida as the blessed, sun-soaked paradise of resilient myth.” —Edward Kosner, The Wall Street Journal

“With stylish humor and pluck, the author bursts some of the more mystifying Florida myths. . . . If you are a Florida resident, full-time or part-time, or anyone curious about the state’s history and more, this book belongs on your shelf.” —Reporter, Deerfield BeachF, FL

“An extraordinary tome . . . Finding Florida offers a history lesson that is long overdue.” —The Birmingham Times

“For the general reader, Finding Florida is a catalyst for hearty discussions and more reading.” —Authentic Florida

“An immense and important work.” —Maud Newton, Bookforum

“A magisterial rip at the state’s invaders, conquerors and rulers.” —Mark I. Pinsky, Orlando Magazine

“[Allman] takes a machete to the many outlandish myths and fabrications that to this day often pass for reality in paradise. ” Despite his dead-serious themes and depth of scholarly investigation, Allman’s lively writing offers a rollicking good ride through five turbulent centuries in the Sunshine State, mapping its transformation from wilderness swamp to land speculator’s dream and what he rightly tags the populous, political giant now: ‘The pivot of America.’ That makes Finding Florida worthy reading for just about everyone.” —Annette Clifford, Charleston Post and Courier

“Reading this book shatters nearly every myth about Florida and leads to a better understanding of why the Sunshine State continues to grab headlines and affect national and even international politics.” —Kathy Hersh, New York Journal of Books

“[Finding Florida] at times reads like Michener on meth. What Hiaasen does in fiction, Allman documents.” —Mark I. Pinsky, Orlando Weekly

“I loved Allman’s extraordinary book. . . . Almost every county in Florida bears the name of a butcher, a slavedriver, a madman, a scoundrel or a thief, in a state where for half a millennium the governing mandate seems to be Defeat the Truth, Triumph over Reality. T.D. Allman’s counter-narrative to all the pretty lies is a scouring hurricane of research, investigation, and soul-cleansing wrath, and I doubt there has ever been a better, or more important, book written about the Sunshine State, the birthplace of imperial hubris, American-style.” —Bob Shacochis, author of The Immaculate Invasion

“[From] a raconteur of rare qualities . . . [one] of the fiercest and most prescient nonfiction books written about the Sunshine State in the past 40 years.” —Palm Beach Arts Paper

“Finding Florida is a must-read for any Florida resident who is interested in the state’s history.” —EU Jacksonville Magazine

“Finding Florida is fascinating, comprehensive, and accessible to the non-specialist reader. While Allman covers an enormous amount of material—taking Florida from uninhabited swampland to the sidewalk culture of South Beach—he does so in such engaging ways that the reader is never overwhelmed. Indeed, each chapter is in itself a satisfying and illuminating narrative, stock full of vivid characters. Somehow he has managed to pull together a compelling read without sacrificing historical substance, a feat to which many professional historians aspire. His wry voice conveys a point of view that gently pushes readers to understand Florida as an American synecdoche.” —Glenda Gilmore , Peter V. and C. Vann Woodward Professor of History, Yale University

“Manuscripts repeatedly find their way into print that ignore the reality of Florida’s past and, in so doing, skew our understanding of what Florida has been, what it is now, what it’s likely to become, and what that means for everyone. T. D. Allman’s book turns all that on its head. It directly challenges the existing historiography with highly intelligent insight and crafting of narrative in a way that permits the reader to immerse himself in a world far from the expected one. Finding Florida is provocative to the point of daring. Thomas Jefferson claimed a little revolution was needed about every twenty years. Florida and its historiography is long overdue for one.” —Canter Brown, Jr., Professor of History, Fort Valley State University