In Strangers in their Own Land (2016) sociologist Arlie Russell Hochschild wrote of spending parts of 5 years getting to know folks in Louisiana, where pollution is devastating but the majority oppose environmental regulations. For Stolen Pride: Loss, Shame, and the Rise of the Right, she spent part of several years with blue-collar men in rural Kentucky in an effort to understand why Pikeville citizens, in the political center 30 years ago, voted 80% for Donald Trump in 2016. She learned of their pride in believing anyone can succeed through hard work and their shame when life falls short of their goal. Experiencing the loss of jobs and population, the reduced value of their land, their heritage, and their hard work, they were encouraged to believe the American dream had been stolen from them.
She avoids a simple explanation such as looking for someone to blame for hard times. She listens closely and brings us to understand their political and social evolution.
-Barbara, Circulation
