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Glass House
Glass House: The 1% Economy and the Shattering of the All-American Town | Brian Alexander
22 posts | 9 read | 60 to read
In 1947, Forbes magazine declared Lancaster, Ohio the epitome of the all-American town. Today it is damaged, discouraged, and fighting for its future. In Glass House, journalist Brian Alexander uses the story of one town to show how seeds sown 35 years ago have sprouted to give us Trumpism, inequality, and an eroding national cohesion. The Anchor Hocking Glass Company, once the worlds largest maker of glass tableware, was the base on which Lancasters society was built. As Glass House unfolds, bankruptcy looms. With access to the company and its leaders, and Lancasters citizens, Alexander shows how financial engineering took hold in the 1980s, accelerated in the 21st Century, and wrecked the company. We follow CEO Sam Solomon, an African-American leading the nearly all-white towns biggest private employer, as he tries to rescue the company from the New York private equity firm that hired him. Meanwhile, Alexander goes behind the scenes, entwined with the lives of residents as they wrestle with heroin, politics, high-interest lenders, low wage jobs, technology, and the new demands of American life: people like Brian Gossett, the fourth generation to work at Anchor Hocking; Joe Piccolo, first-time director of the annual music festival who discovers the town relies on him, and it, for salvation; Jason Roach, who police believed may have been Lancasters biggest drug dealer; and Eric Brown, a local football hero-turned-cop who comes to realize that he can never arrest Lancasters real problems.
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Amie
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Pickpick

The rise and fall of the small central Ohio city of Lancaster and the Anchor Hocking glass company, one of its biggest employers. Corporations, politicians, & people who vote against their own interests & resist change all share the blame. The author, who grew up there & left, treated the struggling, addicted, vulnerable citizens that he featured with compassion. Unfortunately, there are no easy solutions and many towns like this one.

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Allkat
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Multiple takeovers, changes in ownership and money making schemes are bad news for glass manufacturing workers at Anchor Hocking glass in Lancaster, Ohio. And bad for Lancaster. The loss of good paying jobs is compared by the author to the increase in drug use and hopelessness.

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QBub
Pickpick

A tale of capitalism, American style. Compelling true story of how a series of leveraged buyouts contributed to the death of a successful company and led to the decline of Lancaster, Ohio and many of its residents.

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bio_chem06
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Books and dog snouts...

Sace It's a very cute dog snout 😁 4y
8 likes1 comment
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Mentallofilth
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Pickpick

An excellent book about how Reagan hollowed out Middle America and so captured the imagination of politicians of both parties that they left their towns to die lonely, slow deaths. It is a powerful autopsy on a classic American way of life that has been battered and bruised by a toxic strain of capitalism that eats at us to this day.

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WanderingBookaneer
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#LitsyMeetUp ! Shona ( @Anovelobsession ) is one of the unsung heroes figuring out the logistics of keeping the island up and running after #HurricaneMaria . @BookishMarginalia and I managed to see her before she goes back to Texas on Wednesday.

BookishMarginalia It was so fun! 💜👏🏼🇵🇷 6y
LeahBergen Aww. This is wonderful.❤️ 6y
MicheleinPhilly ❤️❤️❤️ 6y
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LauraBrook 💖💗💖 6y
kspenmoll Wonderful you got to meet up; she is an unsung hero! So are you both. ❤️❤️ 6y
LeeRHarry Fantastic 😊 6y
DrJAdMerricksson Wow! 💞 6y
ptkpepe98 Love those smiling faces! Great picture, ladies! 6y
My_novel_obsession @WanderingBookaneer @BookishMarginalia Ladies it was an absolute honor to get to meet you. I had a fabulous time and literally could have spent days chatting with you. Wished I lived closer and I would meet you every weekend at The Bookmark. I‘ll post pics of the books I grabbed on my way out as soon as I get back to the hotel! 6y
JSW 😍😍😍😍😍 6y
ValerieAndBooks Love this!! 6y
CouronneDhiver You three are gorgeous! 6y
Bookzombie ❤️❤️❤️ 6y
139 likes13 comments
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BookishMarginalia
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Hanging out at #thebookmarkpr with @WanderingBookaneer and @Anovelobsession #LitsyMeetUp 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

Zelma Yay, have fun! 6y
155 likes1 comment
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BookishMarginalia
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Good morning from happy place @TheBookmarkPR -- trying to distract ourselves from the impending threat of #Maria 😱 #thebookmarkpr

nickimags Is #Maria another hurricane? 7y
AmyG @nickimags I just saw on TV that it will most likely become one. 7y
8leagueboot Sending you all of our happiest, most confident thoughts! 7y
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EchoLogical @BookishMarginalia Is it like this every hurricane season for you guys? We're supposed to be moving to Key West next year and I'm terrified. 7y
Notafraidofwords Sigh 😔 7y
BookishMarginalia @EchoLogical This is the worst in over a decade... We hunker down and are okay physically, because constructions are strong (concrete) and regulations good (hurricane-grade windows), which makes us better than Key West in that sense. For Key West --and most of Florida-- if a hurricane is coming, you need to pack up and leave. 7y
EchoLogical @BookishMarginalia Thank you for the info. To be honest, I'm hoping that we won't have to move there. My husband works for the government so we go where Uncle Sam tells us but I can't help but wish there was some way out of it. 7y
AprilMae Ugh! Sending good vibes your way!!! 7y
alisiakae Positive vibes (and a #litsypenpal letter) being sent your way! 7y
139 likes2 stack adds9 comments
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BookishFeminist
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Starting this today. It focuses on the politics, economy, and society of Lancaster, Ohio, a town that was largely sustained by a glass factory.

NatalieR Yup! That's my hometown. 😊 7y
cathysaid I wonder is its like Unwinding? I enjoyed that one. 7y
amvs1111 Close to home! Thanks for bringing it to my attention! 7y
91 likes10 stack adds3 comments
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Lola
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A sunny but windy and chilly track meet Saturday here in Chicago. There's an hour and half until my daughter's next event-hopefully I can make some real progress on my current read. This one has been slow and tedious for me..kind of like the track meet 😩Happy Saturday!

GypsyKat Great boots! 7y
Kappadeemom Super cute boots! 7y
Lola @GypsyKat @Kappadeemom Thanks! They definitely get a workout with our often nasty weather! 7y
MaleficentBookDragon ❤️the boots! 7y
Lola @MaleficentBookDragon Thanks! Definitely going to sad when it's time to put them away for the season. I really should be more than ready since it's MAY 😂😂 7y
37 likes5 comments
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Lola
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This book has an important story to tell, but with just three chapters to go, it hasn't really done so yet.Part of it reads like a business textbook,and part like an awkward memoir. The author is from the town where the Glass House, Anchor Hocking, was founded and is located, which does give him an insider's perspective of the company and the people, but he inserts personal anecdotes in a way that is more annoying then enlightening. #bookandcoffee

Lola Make that six chapters. I think three was wishful thinking. 😩 7y
25 likes1 comment
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Reviewsbylola
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Date night sometimes is just a quick 45 minutes to yourself, walking in the rain to the local bookstore and ice cream shop. It doesn't sound like much, but it was perfect. Husband found a biography on John Glenn, and I found a shirt to support my local library and some goodies for my santa recipient. I had my eye on this booj--it's semi local--but thought it may be a bit dense for me. Anyone read it?

shelf-improvement It's a little dense because it gets into complicated high finance business deals that are hard to follow, but the sociological aspect of the book is super important (says the girl who grew up near Lancaster) 7y
shelf-improvement And even though I didn't understand all the economics, I still feel like I got a lot out of it. 7y
Lola I'm reading it now for a book club-I'm only 100 pages in. I really liked the beginning, which focused on people, but I'm deep in the part that is reminding me why I switched out of a business major in college 😖I'm also not crazy about the author's style. I think the fact that he grew up in Lancaster can offer great insight and value but this isn't a memoir. His sporadic injections of his own life into the story are annoying and distracting. 7y
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Lola @shelf-improvement Yeah, I'm at the part that's like reading a business school textbook. I do think that information is important to give context to what happened in the town and to Anchor but I think the author's delivery is very clunky (kind of like this post 🙃) 7y
Reviewsbylola That what I was afraid of. I'm not into the business/financial aspect, more the socialogical impact. I think this would be a better option for me on Overdrive, where I won't feel so bad about skimming! @lola @shelf-improvement (edited) 7y
shelf-improvement Yes, that makes sense. You don't really need to understand all the crazy business deals to get why the deals screwed the people of Lancaster. (But some might like that kind of info, who knows?) 7y
NatalieR @shelf-improvement I agree with your comments on this book. A lot of the business/economic stuff went over my head. I enjoyed the book a lot tho; I grew up in Lancaster. 😋 7y
shelf-improvement @Lola His writing definitely wasn't the strongest. One of the things that I think I important to glean from the econ talk is that the employees affected by all this were largely unaware of the deals. They don't even know who to be angry at, because the decisions are being made by very distant outsiders they'd never heard of. 7y
shelf-improvement @NatalieR I grew up near Athens, so this book was very personal to me. I could see the Hocking river from my childhood bedroom. 7y
NatalieR @shelf-improvement That's cool! I graduated from OU. 😉 7y
Lola @shelf-improvement I am actually going to recommend this to a few young college business majors. I think it's important to see how boardroom decisions affect real people-those who aren't the shareholders but the ones with boots on the ground, working in the companies they are (mis)managing. 7y
MarriedtoMrT That date sounds lovely! A short time away getting a treat is sometimes all you need. 7y
emilyhaldi Glad you posted this and got some reader opinions... Doesn't sound like something I want to read after all! 7y
Cinfhen Your date night sounds 😇😇😇 7y
Reviewsbylola I reserved it on Overdrive, but I agree. I don't think it's for me. @emilyhaldi 7y
Reviewsbylola It was perfect! We just need to make it happen more often! @MarriedtoMrT @Cinfhen 7y
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NatalieR
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Pickpick

This book tells the story about my hometown, Lancaster, Oh. The Anchor Hocking glass manufacturer is a prominent business that terrible, greedy businessmen have been running into the ground for decades. My grandpa (pictured) retired in the early 80's from Anchor after 40 years. The glass votives are made by Anchor and were given out at the county fair. Lancaster is not favorably portrayed, but it's still a good place to be from. ❤️⚓️

Cinfhen Love the photo of your grandfather 💕 7y
NatalieR @Cinfhen Awe, thanks. We were at his favorite vacation location, the Florida Keys. 🌴🐠🐡 7y
54 likes2 comments
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BookishMarginalia
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Okay, I'm sold!

Donna_sBookMinute Oh wow. Me too. 7y
99 likes14 stack adds1 comment
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BookishMarginalia
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This book looks like it fits perfectly within my current quest to understand Trump supporters and the rise of Trumpism in America: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/brian-alexander/glass-house-economy/ #StMartins

Suet624 Yes it does. 7y
Bookladylinda Sounds like an interesting read. 7y
Zelma Another option that is a tad dry but looks at the differences in generational opportunities through the lens of a small town: 7y
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JacquelynLovesYou There's a book i really want to read by Michael Kimmel, called Angry White Men. Also, Joan Walsh's What's the Matter with White People. Have yiu read either? 7y
elaine_page82 Have you read Hillbilly Elegy? I read that one for exactly this reason. 7y
BookishMarginalia @Zelma @JacquelynLovesYou Thanks for the recommendations -- I'll be looking for those! @elaine_page82 Yes, I read it. I found it interesting and useful, though I thought the author generalized too much from his experience to make pronouncements. The book is strongest when focused on his own life and experiences. 7y
103 likes8 stack adds6 comments
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BookishMarginalia
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Recharging my batteries at happy place @TheBookmarkPR with yummy lemon loaf, delicious coffee, and lots of lovely books to peruse! Hope your day is going well too!

My_novel_obsession Besides looking at all those wonderful books, your post makes me want to go in search of lemon loaf 🤤 7y
LauraBeth This looks like Heaven 7y
Donna_sBookMinute Looks like that devilish lemon cake from Starbucks. I actually made a pound cake that tasted just like it -- Once. I could probably do it again. Great stack. (edited) 7y
minkyb Perfection. 7y
135 likes5 comments
review
shelf-improvement
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Pickpick

This book was an important look at how Friedman economics hurts communities. Having grown up close to its setting in Lancaster, OH, I am so happy someone wanted to write about the region's troubles, even if it's rather disheartening and frustrating (seeing a few of these names floating around the current administration is even more disheartening)

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MrBook
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#BookNDinner! MrBook is eating late tonight after a double-shift at the library. Tonight's accompaniment: cheesesteak with mushrooms & provolone; fries; root beer. MMmmm 😋! This has been another presentation of: #MrBookBookBabeKitchen. Happy reads & happy eats! 😎👌🏻

LitsyGoesPostal 😊👍🏻 7y
116 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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MrBook
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#BookNDinner! Accompaniment this blizzard-like evening: center-cut pork cutlets, Rice-A-Roni, steakhouse green beans, and sparkling mineral water. MMMmm 😋! This has been another presentation of: #MrBookBookBabeKitchen. Happy reads & happy eats! 😎👌🏻

LitsyGoesPostal 😊👍🏻 7y
97 likes1 stack add1 comment
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shelf-improvement
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#TBRTemptation You might be getting tired of nonfiction about the white working class, but I'm not. People don't tell stories about the place where I grew up--about an hour from Lancaster--and that's always been a bummer to me, so I want to sing the praises of anything that shines a light on the realities of that world. Hope it's good. http://www.npr.org/2017/02/06/513713606/glass-house-chronicles-the-sharp-decline...

celtichik So what do you think? 7y
shelf-improvement @celtichik I thought it was good! It's a little dense, as he's explaining all the complicated business deals and loopholes. I think he could have driven harder on his point that the way private equity firms have exploited the company's struggles have led to the community's issues. He presents the two aspects separately but doesn't reeeeaaallly do enough to connect them in my opinion. 4 stars out of 5 on Goodreads. 7y
28 likes5 stack adds2 comments
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MrBook
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#BookNDinner! Accompaniment this evening: center-cut pork chops, gold potatoes, broccoli, & sparkling mineral water. MMMMmm 😋! (Making progress, eh @saresmoore ☺️😉👍🏻?) This has been another presentation of: #MrBookBookBabeKitchen. Happy read & happy eats! 😎👌🏻

saresmoore I love it! This looks fabulous, but could probably use some Ranch dressing... 😏 (I make a homemade version with coconut milk, which is surprisingly delicious!) 7y
bio_chem06 @MrBook I'm so excited that you mentioned this book. I grew up 30 minutes away from Lancaster and had no idea there was a book about it. You know of the history growing up near there, but it will be great to know the in depth stuff. I'm so into socioeconomic stuff about depressed towns because I came from one. I just requested it from the library, Thanks! 7y
Tigerbook 👅 yum! 7y
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Gezemice I am glad to see you also eat veggies. 😉 7y
Cupofjo @bio_chem06 me too! I didn't know about this book... 7y
bio_chem06 @saresmoore is the coconut milk a substitution for the amount of sugar in ranch? It would also be great for healthy fats. Am I wrong? 7y
CouronneDhiver No Tots? How sad. Lol 😂 7y
saresmoore @bio_chem06 The coconut milk is a direct replacement for buttermilk (or other chemical dairy-type substitutes). It makes it creamy and adds the illusion of sweetness. I use an avocado oil homemade mayonnaise as the base, so it's loaded with healthy fat! 7y
Foragingfantasy I found a recipe that's got you all over it! http://damndelicious.net/2015/04/10/homemade-tater-tots/ 7y
LitsyGoesPostal 😊👍🏻 7y
97 likes10 comments
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MrBook
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#Bookmail is the best mail ???????!!! Received an ARC from #StMartinsPress. I'll definitely let you know what I think ???. It's about the history of Lancaster, Ohio, from 1947, when "Forbes" epitomized it as the ideal American town, through today, when it isn't so idyllic anymore, quite the opposite actually. All recorded and told by a resident. Sounds like a Barbara Ehrenreich type of read. ???

cathysaid Also sounds a bit like The Unwinding. 🤔 7y
ChasingOm OooooooOOoooooooO! 7y
Jinjer That sounds good! 7y
124 likes5 stack adds3 comments