Naturally a project such as this deserves some background reading and information. I read six books, three of general interest and three about Wisconsin that we had not heard about before we chose to go:
The three general interest books:
Strangers in Their Own Land by Arlie Russell Hochschild. This book of interviews in an area far different than Hochschild’s background, with its suggestion that people visit in places where “other” people live was one of the original motivators for the trip.
American Nations by Colin Woodard. Peter referenced this in his post about the “International drive along Interstate 80.” Woodard posits that there are eleven rival regional cultures in the “United” States.
The Big Sort by Bill Bishop. This intensely researched and detailed book argues that people really like to be with people with whom they agree; even to the extent that this dictates a career and place to live. We are all in our own bubbles by choice!
The three books about Wisconsin:
Janesville by Amy Goldstein. General Motors closed down a huge and old assembly plant in Janesville Wisconsin in 2008, at the start of the “Great Recession.” This threw about 8000 well paid, union, auto workers out of their jobs. It bankrupted the supply and ancillary industries locally. It had the potential to devastate the city, but this is Janesville! The city had gone through good and bad times before. It could pull itself up by its bootstraps once again.
With this sense of boundless optimism the City set out to fix things. But the things were not to be fixed. Retraining would employ only a few. No major corporation would come in. The city survives, but things are not “back to normal.” Fascinating and well documented, the Goldstein interviewed many of the participants in this American drama.
The Politics of Resentment by Katherine J. Cramer. The author set out in 2007 to try to figure out why rural Wisconsinites voted differently than urban people, why rural people resented “Madison,” and why conservative politicians like Scott Walker and Paul Ryan rose to power in what was formerly a reliably liberal state.
Cramer visited and interviewed groups of people in rural areas, each several times over the years to see what changed. She learned that people who struggle to keep a roof over their heads and have jobs that do not include paid vacations, healthcare and retirement plans resent paying taxes to the State (hence “Madison,” the state capital) so that it can pay public employees who do have those benefits, and often higher salaries as well. Her interviews are well documented and establish that this resentment that is in the title of the book often seems quite reasonable. She covers many other areas of group thinking as well. Many of the issues she had in getting the information were similar to those we anticipate in our Listening Tour. This book was recommended to us by several people from Wisconsin.
Evicted by Matthew Desmond is based on the problems of landlords and tenants in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He particularly traces the issues that arise when renting to people of the lowest classes and the people who might become homeless when evicted.
Communities arise everywhere. When there are disruptions and problems there is always somebody in the local community who knows who to call and what to do. The police are usually a second or third line of defense. When one of these people is evicted it negatively impacts two communities; the first is the community a person is forced to vacate and the second is the new community where this person knows nobody and can no longer be of help.
Race plays a big part here. A majority of defendants in eviction court are Black women. So while Black men are often being locked up, Black women are often being locked out.
Desmond spent several years living in these communities while doing his research and when he puts quotes around many of the statements that he presents it means that he has heard and recorded the person making the statement personally. Frankly the book is pretty depressing. Only one of the characters gets out of the cycle; the rest either fail or die trying. It is a brutally honest look at the problem and it is often hard to take. He does have some suggestions for improvements, but the real value of the book is the impact it has on the reader.
Each of these helped us frame our Tour and helped us understand the people we would meet.
--David
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