Part Three: Go West, Young Judt, Midlife Crisis Summary and Analysis

Go West, Young Judt: At the age of thirty, Judt made his first visit to America. He had been invited to teach at a University in California for the year, and made the decision to drive from Boston to Davis, California, with his wife in their purchased second-hand Buick. The couple arrived in Boston and were immediately taken with America's obsessions with size and cleanliness. In subsequent visits to America, Judt discovered that he felt quite isolated from the rest of the world, particularly when in the Midwest cornfields. The only thing that brought a feeling of community in the vast country was its churches. However, the most exciting aspect of American life for Judt was the multitude of universities. Each public university boasted a library containing...