The View From Flyover Country: Essays by Sarah Kendzior

brutal collection of essays from 2012-2014 about American decline in the wake of the great recession of the late 2000's.

Interesting Yet Oblivious To Own Criticisms. This is an interesting collection of essays written between 2012 and 2014, with an epilogue in 2017 after the election of Donald Trump to the White House. It presents a stark view of Middle America, but one that many, even on the coasts, will identify with. Kendzior even accurately identifies that the problems she notes had existed for quite some time and were proving little if any better after several years of "Hope and Change"... but then decries the efforts of Trump to even pay lip service (which is all he ever did) to these issues and people. Still, as a time capsule of what at least one writer was thinking of various developments of the era, this is an interesting book and a worthy read. But if you're listening to the Audible, speed it up to around 1.5x to make it less of a lullaby. Recommended.

These essays are collected from the last few years and I'd already read some of them, or some versions of them, online. But it was still a valuable use of my time to read all of her sharp insights about American culture (and how fucked up it is). If you're not familiar with Sarah Kendzior, she's such a smart and insightful writer, I can't recommend her insights enough.

Must-read collection of essays for looking into the structural challenges facing cities and towns in the Midwest.