The next time you fear for the state of the union, turn your attention to small cities across America. James Fallows and Deborah Fallows say it is in Erie, Pennsylvania and Fresno, California that a brighter American future is being forged.

The Fallows new book, Our Towns: A 100,00 mile journey into the heart of America, reads like a call for hope and a playbook for struggling regions across the country.

The Fallows spent the last five years piloting a single engine prop plane around the country. They talked with civic leaders, business owners, workers, homemakers, students and found reform and innovation emerging in small cities.

James Fallows is an award winning national correspondent for The Atlantic Monthly and the author of 10 books. Deborah Fallows, his spouse and collaborator, is author of Dreaming in Chinese: Mandarin Lessons in Life, Love, and Language.