Welcome to Litsy!

Berkeley prof heads to Louisiana for “field study” to break down “empathy wall” & connect. Makes friends with friendly, hardworking Tea Partiers. Her ? :why would they vote against their own economic interests, support megindustries that poison neighborhoods, bring death & disease to families? “Deep story”=other Americans “cutting in line” towards prosperity. Yes, empathy=key to understanding but odd study seems afraid to draw conclusions. 2017

It‘s been incredibly humid here and it made the page curl. Cat tax for all who hate to see it happen to a book.

I highly recommend this book, in fact I‘m about to drop it off at a friends house tomorrow (socially distant of course). Arlie does a wonderful job explaining the Louisiana Tea Party. Working as an environmental advocate in Missouri this was really infallible.

It‘s a “reading in bed still” type of Saturday.

CW: politics

I‘m really enjoying this perspective... “For the left, the flashpoint is up the class ladder (between the very top and the rest); for the right, it is down between the middle class and the poor. For the left, the flashpoint is centered in the private sector; for the right, in the public sector. Ironically, both call for an honest day‘s pay for an honest day‘s work.”

I remember when I heard Hillbilly Elegy was a great explanation of the rise of the Tea Party and the conservative right in blue collar America. Then I read the book and found it wanting. I should have immediately picked up this book, because it‘s everything the other book wasn‘t. Social commentary done by a professional, but readable.

Full review http://www.TheBibliophage.com
#thebibliophage2020
#nonfictionchallenge2020 #somethingabouteconomics

#thoughtfulthursday

1. Either returning to the gym after a cold and sinus infection, or the Lev Parnas interviews
2. Expecting some snow, so I put the puzzle table up!
3. The tagged book and Wild by Cheryl Strayed

Thanks for the tag @Riveted_Reader_Melissa ! I‘m late to the game, so if you‘re seeing this, consider yourself tagged. 🤓

Audiobook accompaniment to my holiday de-decorating today. I‘m trying hard to read not just #MountTBR books, but those from the #waybacklist. And this is long overdue. Hoping it also counts as #somethingabouteconomics for the #nonfictionchallenge2020.

1. Tagged 📚😊
2. Only one? 🤔 Healing powers.
3. ♊
4. Working
5. 💛💚💙🧡
#Friyayintro @howjessreads

Starting this one tonight.
Might be perfect timing - might be enraging.

I really thought I was going to hate this book and I ended up devouring it in two days. It was frustrating, rage-inducing and heart-breaking. Every few pages had me ranting but I'm still glad I read it. While I'm confident that I won't ever see eye-to-eye with right leaning political groups, this book humanized the people of Louisiana for me, which is what it set out to do. This is going to make one hell of a good book club discussion.

I can‘t bring myself to read *that* book right now but this one is really good so far.

Brunch~

This was a really valuable read. Not easy, pretty heartbreaking reading about the horrible pollution in Louisiana and frustrating how much Tea Party voters vote against their own interest, but valuable nonetheless.

This was helpful for my understanding

Slow getting started, it grows on you as it goes along. By the end I found it to be a must-read for anyone interested in walking in the shoes of a typical Trump voter. Much more insightful than Hillbilly Elegy. What would happen if we were able to sustain a dialogue about issues and values instead of identities? Would people be willing to lay down their tribal loyalties and look for common ground?

Library haul inspired by Trump's DACA decision and my desire to learn more about how we got here on immigration. Oh and the Pamela Paul book because it's about books of course🤣

Next up! #audiobook

Starting this one today!

"We'll probably never see the bayou like God made it in the beginning until He fixes it himself. And that will happen pretty shortly, so it don't matter how much man destroys." ?

The first of several books I'll be listening to in the hopes it helps me understand what the f*ck is going on in this country.

"...residents of red states suffer higher rates of industrial pollution than do residents of blue states. Voters in the twenty-two states that voted Republican in the five presidential elections between 1992 and 2008 - and who generally call for less government regulation of business - lived in more polluted environments. Residents in the twenty-two Democratic states that generally favor stricter regulations...live in cleaner environments."

I'm only a few pages in.. and I know this was written by a hardcore liberal, but I'm already sensing a strong sense of "these right wingers are dummies voting against their own interests". I was hoping for something a little less biased.

Unfortunately this book primarily confirmed what I already suspected about the belief systems of the far right. However, there was some food for thought and I appreciate that the book is written by a liberal sociologist, letting me feel as though I had a friendly guide through this territory. I definitely agree that we as a society seem to be segregating ourselves more and more along political lines, exacerbating the divide.

Just a quick thought about the importance of indie bookstores in light of the recent news about Amazon buying out another chunk of American culture: indie booksellers are more than just customer service reps. They are out there on the front lines, giving us access to information from all perspectives. I appreciate more than ever what they do in light of our current political climate. 🙏

I picked up this book to prevent me from fighting with my brother. I love him but we are on opposite sides of the political spectrum. I live in a liberal bubble and he voted for Trump. When I read the news I have the impulse to call him and ask him if he agrees with what is happening and that would lead to a fight. Did this book make me understand all the insanity in this country? No. It did show me some different perspectives. And made me sad.

Going to try to finish the book tonight. Going to try not to finish all the ice cream tonight. #booksandicecream #riotgrams

Library hold finally came through... a little light reading ...

Just finished, and was riveted. Between this and Matthew Desmond's Evicted, I want to read ALL THE BOOKS by embedded Sociologists. What else am I missing??

The first half of the book felt a bit pompous but the second was spot on. The ability to articulate how and why the American right thinks and feels was well done. I definitely said to myself, "I could see that" and feel, even though I completely disagree, this book helped me understand how and why we are so politically divided.
The environmental parts break my heart, though ?.

The analogy of line cutters as a way to describe Tea Party anger is one of the best I've seen. I've heard echoes of this when I listen to far right leaning relatives. I've just never been able to articulate what I heard from those who are as far right as I am left.😊

I respect Hochschild's ability to portray her subjects views without judgment, because it sure sounds absurd to me.

Looking forward to starting this!

My current audiobook, another in my quest to understand the conservative mindset and why so many vote against their own interests.

I've been trying to finish this book for three weeks. I feel like I need to finish, but it's so maddening! And I'm a one book at a time person so it's putting me in a mini slump. 😦

On the last 50 pages of this - SO interesting. I am reading it right after Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance in an attempt to understand more about why Trump was elected. I think Strangers does a better job with that specific question, but both are definitely worth the time.

Books, Coffee, and Rain here in NC today. Oh and my pug, Bleecker in my lap.

Stay dry my friends!

This book is infuriating, but I'm glad I read it. Read this, not hillbilly elegy.

Why I read it: NY Times Trump reading list, NBA nonfiction longlist

Hi Litsy I'm still alive and well. Had nearly no to time to read this past week 😔😔😔 and now I do and this freaking cat.....

I'm having coconut cake and coffee for dinner ☕️🍰

I've heard that if you liked Hillbilly Elegy or if you read Hillbilly Elegy but thought it under-delivered, then this book is a great follow-up read. Starting it tonight 😀

I can't praise this book enough. If you're a liberal trying to understand why YOU suddenly feel like a "stranger in your own land," read it. Beautifully written, thoroughly researched, and written with humanity. I thought she had an especially nuanced analysis of southern racial resentment & how it interplays with the economic dynamics. Aaagh I wish I had a Boston book club to discuss this with!

So the Lucky Day Collection is a feature at the Boston Public Library where you just walk in and you can CHECK OUT a book with a hold list a mile long because it's your "lucky day." Lucky for me I was killing some time between work and an event. I wasn't able to finish this after my e-book check out expired. ?

This book has been a revelation for me even though it left me with more questions than answers sometimes. For me it explained very clearly that politics are deeply emotional decisions and that the feeling counts more than studies and statistics. The author also makes a good case to climb the empathy wall and to try to connect with the people on the other side.

My bookish day:
- Finished one ARC at the salon (How to be Human)
- Got a rec for Strangers in Their Own Land chatting at the salon
- Got another ARC (Lola) in the mail
- Stopped at Destiny City Comics for AD After Death - it's not in yet - but because I can't leave a place where they sell bound printed material empty-handed, I left with vol 1 of Wytches, Royal City #1, American Gods #1... And a ltd ed signed print of the American Gods cover
🙌🏻

This chapter has been a revelation for me so far. 😮😮😮

This is a tough read... sometimes I feel like the more I read, the less I understand.

This book is interesting, but I wish the author had asked the people she talked to one specific question: what do they see as being the American Dream? Because they are, by her analogy, angry at all of the people "cutting in front of them in line for the American Dream". They think they haven't achieved it, but I think they have: land (sometimes acres and acres), house, family, SUV, community. So what is it they think they deserve and from whom?

One of the most readable and engaging books on my post-election reading list. Bonus photo of a beautiful swamp in Louisiana, the state where Hochschild conducted her research for this book.

Just a few pages into this book and it promises to be excellent. This insight strikes me as profoundly true.

Picked this up at the library today. I am 30 pages in and my empathy levels are going down, not up. We'll see!