First published 2018
Sarah Kendzior brings her expertise in authoritarian states to bear on America's overlooked regions in this collection of sharp essays. Writing from St. Louis, Kendzior documents the economic decline and social fractures that reshape communities across the heartland. She examines labor exploitation, racism, gentrification, and media bias as interconnected forces that hollow out opportunity for ordinary Americans. Her analysis connects these local realities to larger political shifts, including the rise of autocratic leadership. Kendzior argues that understanding America's problems requires honest examination of conditions in places often dismissed as flyover country. Originally published as individual pieces for Al Jazeera, these essays gained recognition as an ebook bestseller before appearing in print with updated material reflecting on subsequent political developments. The book offers readers a clear-eyed perspective on how economic and social pressures in America's heartland created conditions for political upheaval.
Genres: american, politics, non-fiction, 21st-century, current-affairs, american-history
Vibes: critical, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: political-upheaval, social-commentary
Setting: St. Louis, America, Heartland
Period: 21st-Century
224 pages · Kindle Edition · Flatiron Books
Content warnings: racism