Strangers in Their Own Land

Anger and Mourning on the American Right

By: Arlie Russell Hochschild

Narrated by: Suzanne Toren

Length: 11 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

In Strangers in Their Own Land, the renowned sociologist Arlie Hochschild embarks on a thought-provoking journey from her liberal hometown of Berkeley, California, deep into Louisiana bayou country - a stronghold of the conservative right. As she gets to know people who strongly oppose many of the ideas she famously champions, Hochschild nevertheless finds common ground and quickly warms to the people she meets, among them a Tea Party activist whose town has been swallowed by a sinkhole caused by a drilling accident - people whose concerns are actually ones that all Americans share: the desire for community, the embrace of family, and hopes for their children.

Strangers in Their Own Land goes beyond the commonplace liberal idea that these are people who have been duped into voting against their own interests. Instead Hochschild finds lives ripped apart by stagnant wages, a loss of home, an elusive American dream - and political choices and views that make sense in the context of their lives. Hochschild draws on her expert knowledge of the sociology of emotion to help us understand what it feels like to live in "red" America. Along the way she finds answers to one of the crucial questions of contemporary American politics: Why do the people who would seem to benefit most from "liberal" government intervention abhor the very idea?

Cover image © Richard Misrach, courtesy Fraenkel Gallery, San Francisco, Pace/MacGill Gallery, New York and Marc Selwyn Fine Art, Los Angeles

©2016 Arlie Russell Hochschild (P)2016 Audible, Inc.

if you read one book about Trump voters, read this

Strangers in their own land offers the respectful and compassionate perspective we need if we are going to bridge our divides and have democracy together. Only by understanding and respecting each other can we negotiate the best possible compromise.

I can't get past the narration

The snooty-sounding elocution of the narrator seems to play into all the stereotypes of an elite left. For me, the tone separates the narrator/author from the subjects she's trying so hard to connect with and is in direct tension with the intent of the book. I wonder if I could enjoy this with a different narrator, or by just reading it. Definitely not a book improved by listening on audible.

Interesting, but not surprising

If you follow politics and social sciences at all you will likely have come across much of the content presented here. What makes the book stand out is a focus on the personal narratives of the people of Louisiana. The narrator was initially off-putting, but I grew used to her delivery as the book went on. Overall, an interesting perspective on how the right views environmental policy.

Agreat primer on how to think about the opposition

I loved the book. It helped me understand the opposition's thought processes, motivations, and the context in which the election happened.

Phenomenal book that will open your mind and heart

A fantastic read for anyone seeking to better understand the alt-rig movement and the tea party activists. Would recommend this to everyone considering how politically divisive our country has become.

Great book

have a better appreciation of the perspective of those she interviewed, but still find it puzzling. I think that it is important for all of us to seek to understand those we dont agree with even if we end up continuing to disagree.

Extra star for author having to work in Louisiana

Very interesting and relevant topic but revealed to be bleak, depressing, even soul-crushing content to help to explain some of the macro trends in our national and local politics.

The groups of people represented by the “working families” in the Louisiana communities the author studied seem hopeless and minded in self-centered aggrandizement, even when it’s rooted in squalor. With their ignorance deeply rooted across generations, they seem beyond hope for any intellectual redemption. The true nature of the corrosiveness of FOX News and social media like Facebook and Twitter is revealed, and the reader/listener can be forgiven for losing hope in America.

Maybe with different narrator

The content is thought provoking, but the narration is difficult to stick with. I listen for about an hour at a time--that's all I can take. The tone of the narrator is condescending...I imagine her saying: "...and then we observed the elusive male redneck in his natural environment... I still think her take is useful to listen to... as I find trying to keep an open mind challenging

This book should be a course in high school.

Just the enlightenment I was hoping for. But I will need to return to it often as we try to render our farm communities sustainable amidst staunch commitment to everything Republican. Though I understand and support some of the same things they value, I have been mystified by others. This book has done a masterful job of helping us bridge such divides.

Enlightening and Frustrating

Strangers in Their own Land was a frustrating and enlightening read, so much so that I'm finding it difficult to put my feelings about it into words. There are more insightful and articulate reviews below but I'll do my best.

The author is a liberal sociologist with an admirable goal: to empathize with and understand conservative Tea Party voters. She chooses to focus on one small region in Louisiana and to limit her focus further by concentrating on environmental issues. The book certainly moves beyond that seemingly narrow scope at times but on the whole, it stays within those guidelines. The author paints a rather harrowing picture of the degree to which Louisiana's environment has suffered over the years due to the reckless and too often unchecked behavior of corporations. It's stunning. Equally stunning are the reactions of many of the people described in the book, who seem utterly, defiantly incapable of recognizing and voting in their own interests. Their behavior seems shaped by the history of the South in ways that are difficult for this lifelong Northerner to fully grasp. They often oppose those in the best position to help them, vote for people who favor corporate welfare over the health and well-being of their constituents and then end up distrusting and resenting government in part because it has let them down. They seem to be missing the obvious connection between the politicians they're electing and the ways in which they are being failed. It's immensely frustrating, especially because they deserve better.

I felt empathy for the people in this book but I don't necessarily feel I understand them better. In the end, they seem to be what I already thought they were: (mostly) kindhearted folks who love and care for their families and neighbors but who often insist on ignoring logic, reason and the evidence around them to support destructive policies wrapped in faith and served to them with false promises of wealth most of them will never see. It's easy to care about them as people and difficult not to see them as deeply misguided and sometimes destructively illogical. That's part of why I found the book frustrating.

I also found the book frustrating because I felt the author's bias is apparent from the start. At times, I felt that bias was manifested in a condescending tone. Perhaps that was inevitable as she must have been experiencing the same issues I did as a reader on a much more personal, intimate level.

I found Suzanne Toren's narration adequate.