Disillusioned

Five Families and the Unraveling of America's Suburbs

By: Benjamin Herold

Narrated by: Benjamin Herold, Bethany Smith

"Astonishingly important.” —Alex Kotlowitz, The Atlantic

Through the stories of five American families, a masterful and timely exploration of how hope, history, and racial denial collide in the suburbs and their schools

Outside Atlanta, a middle-class Black family faces off with a school system seemingly bent on punishing their teenage son. North of Dallas, a conservative white family relocates to an affluent suburban enclave, but can’t escape the changes sweeping the country. On Chicago’s North Shore, a multiracial mom joins an ultraprogressive challenge to the town’s liberal status quo. In Compton, California, whose suburban roots are now barely recognizable, undocumented Hispanic parents place their gifted son’s future in the hands of educators at a remarkable elementary school. And outside Pittsburgh, a Black mother moves to the same street where author Benjamin Herold grew up, then confronts the destructive legacy left behind by white families like his.

Disillusioned braids these human stories together with penetrating local and national history to reveal a vicious cycle undermining the dreams upon which American suburbia was built. For generations, upwardly mobile white families have extracted opportunity from the nation’s heavily subsidized suburbs, then moved on before the bills for maintenance and repair came due, leaving the mostly Black and Brown families who followed to clean up the ensuing mess. But now, sweeping demographic shifts and the dawning realization that endless expansion is no longer feasible are disrupting this pattern, forcing everyday families to confront a truth their communities were designed to avoid: The suburban lifestyle dream is a Ponzi scheme whose unraveling threatens us all.

How do we come to terms with this troubled history? How do we build a future in which all children can thrive? Drawing upon his decorated career as an education journalist, Herold explores these pressing debates with expertise and perspective. Then, alongside Bethany Smith—the mother from his old neighborhood, who contributes a powerful epilogue to the book—he offers a hopeful path toward renewal. The result is nothing short of a journalistic masterpiece.

Enlightening

Illuminating revelation of the different perspectives of people from different communities that were all developed for the same reason , succeeded for a time , but are all in decline for the same reasons as well. Truly interesting and I personally was educated by it in a profound way.

Resident from one of the suburbs

Recommended to everyone I know! I burst into tears at the epilogue!
Thank you to everyone for collaborating on this especially Bethany!!!!!

A necessary read on suburbs, schools and race

Historically accurate and informative read covering different families around the country. The origins and subsequent developments in America suburbs has been deeply impacted by economic disparities, diverging interests and underlying (often overt) racial tensions. Excellent and thought-provoking read.

Insightful and Informative

Especially enjoyed the epilogue written by one of the families interviewed. Thank you for sharing your story!

Good writing and research about the sociology of American Suburbs and their evolution.

Never having been a suburban dweller, I heard recently that the suburbs in America are changing, which only makes sense considering that cities are unaffordable. The book delves into the changes that are taking place and the challenges all suburban dwellers see themselves facing. A lot of focus was on public schools and the myriad of problems people face attending them. As a retired urban and rural public school teacher myself I again see that this book as well as the American public white and black, focus on the wrong things. The issue with public schools and what is destroying public education is the top down structure of the system. Major educational decisions are made by politicians and administrators who rarely care about kids. Teachers who do the heavy lifting are not consulted or supported in the ways that would change everything for children. The book didn’t address real issues as far as I was concerned.