Yeah, this life expectancy divide is just a map of obesity. Even the counties referenced in TFA up through South and North Dakota echo the obesity prevalence.

Yeah, this life expectancy divide is just a map of obesity. Even the counties referenced in TFA up through South and North Dakota echo the obesity prevalence. A friend gifted me a copy of this book (American Nations) and I quit reading it because, while somewhat novel, these regional distinctions make no practical sense. There is a wide, substantial difference between someone from Minnesota or Iowa and someone from New York or New Mexico. I get why the author drew the distinctions that way, but they aren't useful or meaningful.