asgard793 's review for:

Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right by Arlie Russell Hochschild

4.0

hopeful informative reflective sad medium-paced

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Arlie Russell Hochschild explores the current cultural milieu of southern Louisiana as an outsider and anthropologist. The book revolves around author's consistent effort to learn the "deep story" of people who urban and coastal dwellers overlook. For example, why do they support big business despite environmental degradation? Why do they disparage the federal government? Why do they refuse to move despite the erosion of their communities? How can they embrace Donald Trump despite their commitment to clean living and christian values? Most readers will have a lot to learn, and considering these questions will help readers scale what Hochschild calls the "empathy wall". She ultimately argues that surmounting this obstacle will reduce the polarized climate currently stymieing progress.
The text is highly readable and well structured. It would have been valuable to include the voices of local bureaucrats who navigate the region's economic and cultural contours, as well as educators who are prepping youth for an uncertain future. The afterward of the paperback edition assesses the 2016 election and how the sentiments in the main text enabled the outcome. Highly recommended.