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Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right by Arlie Russell Hochschild
flibbityflob's review
Read for my thesis - excellent book, excellent introduction to ethnography as it can be in its most brilliant format. Whilst I felt a great deal of frustration, of anger, of irritation with the subjects of this book, there was also a resounding sense of affection for them. They've been lied to their whole lives, the promise of the American Dream tangible for them, and they can never have it. They'll never be able to have it. The moment that resounded most of all was the concept of these people as victims, but victims both unable to accept their victimhood, and having had the language of their victimhood stolen from them.
raconteurs's review against another edition
4.0
I read this book because I hoped it would make me understand the right wing movement and people who voted for Trump better. But it actually made me really angry about how careless those people hande our enviremont. Specially because their decicsions does not only effect their lifes but the whole planet.
sksrenninger's review
4.0
Eye-opening, confusing, enraging. Definitely worth reading to start to understand the Southern Tea Party.
nderiley's review
4.0
Well researched, written and paced - I really enjoyed the level at which the empathy wall topic was addressed - the author poses questions and then attempts to clearly answer them. That said, while I may now intellectually understand the viewpoint of those represented, I do not empathize with it. This is perhaps my own shortcoming.
nderiley's review against another edition
3.0
My biggest frustration with this book is not the fault of the book. I picked it up, hoping it would give me some empathy for those on the other side of the political spectrum. The book gave me understanding, but I still found no empathy for their positions.
saraanneb3's review
5.0
What a well-written, and heartbreaking, book.
I appreciated that she came to the South with curiosity, not judgment. But, I think the book may have been intended to inspire empathy for the right, and it did not for me. I grew up around these people, I lived my whole life in the south, and now with the facts and stories in front of me, it made me even angrier that people would vote and think this way. It also, as a new resident of Louisiana, made me absolutely horrified of every body of water in the state!
Thought provoking and helpful though, and really thorough appendices in the back.
I appreciated that she came to the South with curiosity, not judgment. But, I think the book may have been intended to inspire empathy for the right, and it did not for me. I grew up around these people, I lived my whole life in the south, and now with the facts and stories in front of me, it made me even angrier that people would vote and think this way. It also, as a new resident of Louisiana, made me absolutely horrified of every body of water in the state!
Thought provoking and helpful though, and really thorough appendices in the back.
janegrace99's review against another edition
5.0
One of the best qualitative pieces I've read. Hochschild is transparent and humble in her description of her methods, the Deep Story is transferable and humanizing (even if I disagree with the idea fundamentally). Arlie Hochschild DOES NOT MISS. One of the best qualitative authors of our time.
fredcthulhu's review
3.0
Hochschild is a liberal Sociology professor from UC Berkley who decides to cross the "empathy wall" and figure out what makes the political right click. As a conservative I wanted to see and understand someone from the "other side" could learn about the political right.
Hochschild fails this on a few levels. One she only talks to Tea Party conservatives from Louisiana. This is a very small sampling of the conservative right. Hochschild often confuses Crony Capitalism with Free Market Capitalism. Hochschild sees government as good and regulations being a good thing. She fails to understand that when most conservatives want to gut the EPA they don't want to completely get away with all regulations (even though there are some conservatives that do). Most conservatives are more worried about abusive oversight of these agencies by unelected bureaucrats that are rarely held accountable.
Hochschild does succeed on some fronts. She is an excellent storyteller who honestly wants to know why and where this divide comes from. You can see she truly comes to care for the people she gets to know from Louisiana. Overall I still think this is a good read despite its flaws.
Hochschild fails this on a few levels. One she only talks to Tea Party conservatives from Louisiana. This is a very small sampling of the conservative right. Hochschild often confuses Crony Capitalism with Free Market Capitalism. Hochschild sees government as good and regulations being a good thing. She fails to understand that when most conservatives want to gut the EPA they don't want to completely get away with all regulations (even though there are some conservatives that do). Most conservatives are more worried about abusive oversight of these agencies by unelected bureaucrats that are rarely held accountable.
Hochschild does succeed on some fronts. She is an excellent storyteller who honestly wants to know why and where this divide comes from. You can see she truly comes to care for the people she gets to know from Louisiana. Overall I still think this is a good read despite its flaws.
cemoses's review against another edition
2.0
I did not think this was a good sociological study. I think she picked a population where she felt her liberal ideas were "right"(industry has polluted the area she has studied yet the people don't support government regulation).
There a parts of California that are quite right wing and fundamentalist. I think these people would be a better study on the difference between the liberals of Berkeley and the emerging right wing; the history of the region would be closer.
There a parts of California that are quite right wing and fundamentalist. I think these people would be a better study on the difference between the liberals of Berkeley and the emerging right wing; the history of the region would be closer.
kleonard's review against another edition
4.0
An excellent rendering of the conflicts and issues that the lack of education and lack of prosperity cause among poor whites, driving them to think and vote against their own self-interests.