Free Downloads

Strangers In Their Own Land: Anger And Mourning On The American Right

In Strangers in Their Own Land, the renowned sociologist Arlie Hochschild embarks on a thought-provoking journey from her liberal hometown of Berkeley, California, deep into Louisiana bayou country—a stronghold of the conservative right. As she gets to know people who strongly oppose many of the ideas she famously champions, Hochschild nevertheless finds common ground and quickly warms to the people she meets—among them a Tea Party activist whose town has been swallowed by a sinkhole caused by a drilling accident—people whose concerns are actually ones that all Americans share: the desire for community, the embrace of family, and hopes for their children.Strangers in Their Own Land goes beyond the commonplace liberal idea that these are people who have been duped into voting against their own interests. Instead, Hochschild finds lives ripped apart by stagnant wages, a loss of home, an elusive American dream—and political choices and views that make sense in the context of their lives. Hochschild draws on her expert knowledge of the sociology of emotion to help us understand what it feels like to live in “red” America. Along the way she finds answers to one of the crucial questions of contemporary American politics: why do the people who would seem to benefit most from “liberal” government intervention abhor the very idea?

Hardcover: 288 pages

Publisher: New Press, The (September 6, 2016)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1620972255

ISBN-13: 978-1620972250

Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 1.5 x 9.3 inches

Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)

Best Sellers Rank: #1,665 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #11 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Politics & Government > Elections & Political Process > Elections #13 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Politics & Government > Ideologies & Doctrines > Conservatism & Liberalism #66 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Sociology

Looking for a source that helps explain why not so affluent white Southerners living near toxic waste sites (and without health insurance) are so anti-regulation, so anti-government, and so pro-Trump? Look no further than this book – timely, but also an enduring, richly informed account that gets us past the rhetorical question of “what’s the matter with Kansas?”Troy Duster

This is an important and certainly timely book. It's clear that Ms. Hochschild likes and values the people she has come to know so well. Her willingness to set aside her own worldview and respectfully convey the world as seen by those she interviews is admirable and I think, effective.

Ever since Jeffrey Sachs hit me between the eyes with a two-by-four with The Price of Civilization I have been devouring every book I can find on the subject of the American voter who seems to be voting the country into destruction by ignoring what is happening all around us. The spotlight seems to have settled on the segment of society described in White Trash, Hillbilly Elegy, Thomas Frank's book about Kansas and a number of others, all attempting to understand what we now see as a Trump supporter. Strangers in Their Own land, in my opinion, is one of the best of these books I have read. The author is different in that she has much more compassion for her subjects and does not sink to ridicule out of exasperation...a common reflex when people seem to be acting against all reason and prudence...but she makes a real effort to understand them and the source of this perplexing behavior. I have learned that there is no arguing with their point of view, but for those of us trying to make sure that we ourselves are not losing our minds, the statistical information in this book is clear and relevant and to me, worth the price of the book.

Arlie Hochschild’s riveting book takes us into the hearts and minds of the Tea Party’s grief and rage at feeling overlooked and marginalized. The deep divide in American politics will look and feel different to you as you build your own empathy bridge to the experience of the American right. Joan Cole

I took a particular interest in this book because I am actually from Lake Charles and grew up there, until leaving at 17 to join the Navy. I felt the author did a fair job in setting the scene. At first she made it sound like a primitive back-woods kind of place, but eased into a more flattering depiction once she was talking to some of the local people. That's what makes South La great anyway, the people. The book offers several interesting paradoxes: the main paradox of why people are so right-leaning, big government hating in a state that relies so heavily on federal subsidies, and also the juxtaposition of people needing big industry for their livelihoods, but also hating that they have to live with its pollution and corruption within the state government. She uses a lot of statistics and facts to make her points, and for the most part, I found it's an objective analysis of the state and explaining it's political leaning.

Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right Rich Dad Advisor's Series: Own Your Own Corporation: Why the Rich Own Their Own Companies and Everyone Else Works for Them (Rich Dad's Advisors) The Anger Workbook for Teens: Activities to Help You Deal with Anger and Frustration Anger Experiences: Group Member Workbook (Anger Management) (Volume 1) Beyond Anger: A Guide for Men: How to Free Yourself from the Grip of Anger Consumer Reports Life Insurance Handbook: How to Buy the Right Policy from the Right Company at the Right Price Strangers in a New Land: What Archaeology Reveals About the First Americans How To Find The Right Laundromat Equipment Distributor: And the right questions to ask. (Laundromats- How To Own and Operate Book 1) Is It Right To Fight?: A First Look at Anger (A First Look at...Series) A Strange and Fearful Interest: Death, Mourning, and Memory in the American Civil War American Bloomsbury: Louisa May Alcott, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Margaret Fuller, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Henry David Thoreau: Their Lives, Their Loves, Their Work Strangers Below: Primitive Baptists and American Culture Bob Marley: In His Own Words (In Their Own Words) A Mind of Your Own: The Truth About Depression and How Women Can Heal Their Bodies to Reclaim Their Lives After One-Hundred-and-Twenty: Reflecting on Death, Mourning, and the Afterlife in the Jewish Tradition (Library of Jewish Ideas) When a Friend or Loved One Dies: Grieving, Mourning, and Healing (Helpline: Teen Issues and Answers) Mourning Journey: Spiritual Guidance for Facing Grief, Death and Loss When Your Pet Dies: A Guide to Mourning, Remembering and Healing Beyond the Dark Veil: Post Mortem & Mourning Photography from The Thanatos Archive Turn My Mourning into Dancing