My name is John Deffenbaugh, and I’ve lived outside America for 50 years. My frame of reference is the 1960s when I grew up in Peoria, Illinois. I’ve travelled back to the US frequently since moving abroad in 1971, and these travels have reinforced how much America has changed – it’s no longer the America that I knew.
I therefore wanted to rediscover America, so I set out on long road trips that reflected my personal journey of discovery. The resulting book will be a socio-political historical travelogue, The Country I Left Behind .
My interest in history and politics framed my exploration. I visited places that I’d been before and new places that interested me. I listened to what people said, their views, and what underpined their thinking. I visited old friends to renew connections, shared stories and got their take on what’s happened over the past 50 years. I found out what’s changed and explored what caused this change. I got a glimpse of the future too.