Ted Conover won a National Book Critics Circle Award for Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing, the story of Conover working as a prison guard. The Routes of Man: How Roads Are Changing the World and the Way We Live Today is just as good. Conover strikes me as one of those restless people who can’t stay in the same place very long. He rambles around the world, traveling on good roads (in China) and terrible roads (in Africa). The most interesting journey Conover takes is a trip to South America to see where mahogany comes from. Several times while reading this book, I thought Conover was going to be shot or stomped or violated (the prostitutes in Africa found Conover very attractive). Conover goes into countries full of violence and AIDS to show how the spread of the disease is directly affected by roads and the long-haul truckers who populate them. If you’re interested in high-level reporting, you’ll find The Routes of Man fascinating. GRADE: A