First published 2016
Renowned sociologist Arlie Hochschild leaves her liberal Berkeley bubble and ventures deep into Louisiana's conservative heartland. As she gets to know locals whose values clash with her own, Hochschild finds surprising common ground - their shared dreams of community, family, and the American promise. Digging beneath the political divisions, she uncovers lives upended by economic stagnation and a fading sense of home. Hochschild's empathetic insights reveal the complex, human stories behind the red-blue divide.
Genres: american, political-science, sociology, non-fiction, 21st-century, american-history
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: United States
Period: 21st Century
242 pages · Hardcover · The New Press