Reviews

American Made: What Happens to People When Work Disappears by Farah Stockman

poetrypup's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

4.0

aburns95's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative reflective medium-paced

3.0

turningpaigez's review against another edition

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5.0

I read this for a politics class but it was so so good. It told the story of working class individuals who lost their jobs to globalization. The author captured the nuance of the characters very beautifully. She was able to tell a greater story about the cultural divide in America in a very engaging way. The best part was that it brought me understanding for demographics that I had never fully empathized with. Loved!

mginn01's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful informative sad fast-paced

5.0

huffkjames's review against another edition

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emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

mfraise05's review against another edition

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5.0

This was a necessary, well written, well researched, approachable book focusing on what happens to people's lives after factories close and move to countries with cheaper labor. Ms. Stockman is kind and respectful towards her subjects, giving them all a safe space to express their thoughts, feelings, and experiences. She doesn't bog the reader down in confusing economics talk but makes the economic losses and gains understandable and relatable.

jennifergbenson's review against another edition

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informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.5

feminine_rage's review against another edition

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informative

4.0

lyonsmw's review against another edition

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4.0

“American Made” is a revealing look into the lives of three people who lose their jobs in a factory closure, an all too familiar action in America. The book is well reported and Ms. Stockman inserts herself in the narrative to juxtapose the differences in her life versus those she was covering. It’s mostly effective. A genuinely good read.

_chaoticbooknook's review against another edition

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4.0

The content of this book isn't new, but I overall found that Stockman was able to write on this topic and shine light on it in a way that allowed me to glean more insights and a deeper understanding than when I had originally began the book. It ultimately made me more sympathetic and empathetic to the way steelworkers thought about things, and obliquely shined more light on their thought process in voting for Donald Trump.

Stockman is clearly a journalist - her writing throughout this book made it feel as though it was a very long-form investigative journalistic piece. I would've preferred if the story did more telling than showing, but it doesn't detract from the overall message of the book.