Sociology

The Left Behind: Decline and Rage in Small-Town America

How a fraying social fabric is fueling the outrage of rural Americans

Paperback

Price:
$15.95/拢12.99
ISBN:
Published:
Apr 30, 2019
2018
Pages:
208
Size:
5.5 x 8.5 in.

What is fueling rural America鈥檚 outrage toward the federal government? Why did rural Americans vote overwhelmingly for Donald Trump? And is there a more nuanced explanation for the growing rural-urban divide? Drawing on more than a decade of research and hundreds of interviews, Robert Wuthnow brings us into America鈥檚 small towns, farms, and rural communities to paint a rich portrait of the moral order鈥攖he interactions, loyalties, obligations, and identities鈥攗nderpinning this critical segment of the nation. Wuthnow demonstrates that to truly understand rural Americans鈥 anger, their culture must be explored more fully, and he shows that rural America鈥檚 fury stems less from economic concerns than from the perception that Washington is distant from and yet threatening to the social fabric of small towns. Moving beyond simplistic depictions of America鈥檚 heartland, The Left Behind offers a clearer picture of how this important population will influence the nation鈥檚 political future.