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Our Patchwork Nation: The Surprising Truth about the "Real" America
Written by Dante Chinni and James Gimpel
Narrated by Peter Berkrot
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
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About this audiobook
In a climate of culture wars and tremendous economic uncertainty, America is often reduced to a simplistic schism between red states and blue states. In response to that oversimplification, journalist Dante Chinni teamed up with political geographer James Gimpel to launch the Patchwork Nation project, using on-the-ground reporting and statistical analysis to get past generalizations and probe American communities in depth. The result is Our Patchwork Nation, a refreshing, sometimes startling look at how America's diversities often defy conventional wisdom.
Looking at the data, they recognized that the country breaks into twelve distinct types of communities, and old categories like "soccer mom" and "working class" don't matter as much as we think. These communities include:
-Boom Towns
-Evangelical Epicenters
-Military Bastions
-Service Worker Centers
-Campus and Careers
-Immigration Nation
-Minority Central
-Tractor Community
-Mormon Outposts
-Emptying Nests
-Industrial Metropolises
-Monied Burbs
By examining these populations, the authors demonstrate that the subtle distinctions in how Americans vote, invest, shop, and otherwise behave reflect what they experience on their local streets and in their daily lives. Our Patchwork Nation is a brilliant new way to debate and examine the issues that matter most to our communities-and to our nation.
Looking at the data, they recognized that the country breaks into twelve distinct types of communities, and old categories like "soccer mom" and "working class" don't matter as much as we think. These communities include:
-Boom Towns
-Evangelical Epicenters
-Military Bastions
-Service Worker Centers
-Campus and Careers
-Immigration Nation
-Minority Central
-Tractor Community
-Mormon Outposts
-Emptying Nests
-Industrial Metropolises
-Monied Burbs
By examining these populations, the authors demonstrate that the subtle distinctions in how Americans vote, invest, shop, and otherwise behave reflect what they experience on their local streets and in their daily lives. Our Patchwork Nation is a brilliant new way to debate and examine the issues that matter most to our communities-and to our nation.
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Reviews for Our Patchwork Nation
Rating: 3.9523809523809526 out of 5 stars
4/5
21 ratings1 review
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Well framed discussion of regional diversity & complexity. Great example of the beauty of data fields. Confirms basic instincts of social fabric. Media leaning rubric. A little like a Fodors guide to the USA. Adding a chapter or anchoring with a world view would have made this work much more useful.