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Summary
Summary
A revolutionary new way to understand America's complex cultural and political landscape, with proof that local communities have a major impact on the nation's behavior-in the voting booth and beyond.
In a climate of culture wars and tremendous economic uncertainty, the media have often reduced America 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. Instead, by examining Boom Towns, Evangelical Epicenters, Military Bastions, Service Worker Centers, Campus and Careers, Immigration Nation, Minority Central, Tractor Community, Mormon Outposts, Emptying Nests, Industrial Metropolises, and Monied Burbs, the authors demonstrate 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.
Author Notes
Dante Chinni is the correspondent for the Patchwork nation project, a collaboration among The Christian Science Monitor , PBS News Hour , and PBS member stations. He lives in Washington, D.C.
James Gimpel, Ph.D., is a professor of government at the University of Maryland, College Park.
Reviews (3)
Kirkus Review
Political journalist Chinni and political geographer Gimpel (Government/Univ. of Maryland;Separate Destinations: Migration, Immigration, and the Politics of Places, 1999, etc.) move beyond the simplistic Red State/Blue State dichotomy to examine the often stark and troubling differences among Americans.Capturing the meaning and nature of these vast economic, political and cultural differences among the 308 million people of America is no easy matter. The authors looked at the 3,141 counties that make up the United States. Using a host of variablesincome, race, ethnicity, education level, religion, population and many moreGimpel came up with 12 basic types of county-level communities, which include "Boom Towns," "Campus and Careers," "Evangelical Epicenters," "Industrial Metropolis" and "Military Bastion." A representative city or town was selected for each basic typeAnn Arbor, Mich., for instance, for "Campus and Careers"which Chinni then visited, speaking with residents to understand the reality beyond the numbers and variables. The result is a captivating and at times surprising analysis, both rigorous and accessible, which suggests that while the country as a whole is going through a period of economic restructuring and technological transformation, how each region experiences these changes creates in effect 12 different realities. The world is a different place for Evangelical Centers and their concern for religious values than it is for an Industrial Metropolis faced with rust-belt ruin and large unemployed and unemployable populations. The 2008'09 recession came earlier and lasted longer for poorer community types such as "Minority Central" and "Service Worker Centers," and their expectations for government economic policies differ from those of richer communities like "Monied Burbs." Can it be said, then, that America remains one nation with one national identity? Probably not, conclude the authors, but there may be a "national mind-set," optimism. The "belief in the power of individual effort and exertion toward goals" holds across all community types.The authors may not provide the answers, but they help formulate the right questions about a diverse and divided nation.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
The astounding diversity among the 300 million citizens of the U.S. defies easy labels of red and blue states, Republicans or Democrats. Journalist Chinni and scholar Gimpel draw on two years of research and interviews to offer regional portraits of the U.S. that drill down to a deeper look at political, social, economic, and cultural perspectives than the red and blue labels. Using data from the nation's 3,141 counties to get a flavor of local perspectives, they looked at typical demographics of race, education, income, religion, and politics and identified 12 different community types based on common experiences and shared realities. Their categories: boomtowns, campus and careers, emptying nests, Evangelical epicenters, immigration nation, industrial metropolis, military bastions, minority central, monied burbs, Mormon outposts, service-worker centers, and tractor country. The first part of the book examines the characteristics of each type of county, while the second compares the types and how their characteristics drive economics, politics, and culture. The authors' data is almost as fascinating as their conversations with people living within the defined regions.--Bush, Vanessa Copyright 2010 Booklist
Choice Review
This engaging volume seeks to move the discussion of the political environment in the US beyond the simple red versus blue distinction currently popular with the media. The book is a report of the work of the Patchwork Nation Project, a collaboration of authors working with The Christian Science Monitor and the PBS NewsHour. Seeking the "real America," Chinni and Gimpel (Univ. of Maryland) divide the 3,141 counties in the US into 12 community types based on demographics such as income level, racial composition, employment, and religion. The community types include "Boom Towns," "Evangelical Epicenters," "Military Bastions," and "Monied Burbs," among others. An introductory chapter that briefly reviews the methodology is followed by chapters that quantitatively and qualitatively explore one exemplar county of each community type. For example, the Boom Town chapter looks at Eagle, Colorado, while Baton Rouge, Louisiana, serves as an example of Minority Central. The second part of the book provides a comparative examination of the 12 community types through three different perspectives: economics, politics, and culture. An appendix offers detailed methodological information placing the work in a framework of political science research at the county level. The authors also discuss their choice of counties as the unit of analysis. Summing Up; Recommended. All readership levels. J. D. Rausch West Texas A&M University
Table of Contents
| Acknowledgments | p. ix |
| Foreword | p. xi |
| Introduction | p. 1 |
| Boom Towns: Eagle, Colorado | p. 15 |
| Campus and Careers: Ann Arbor, Michigan | p. 25 |
| Emptying Nests: Clermont, Florida | p. 35 |
| Evangelical Epicenters: Nixa, Missouri | p. 45 |
| Immigration Nation: El Mirage, Arizona | p. 55 |
| Industrial Metropolis: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | p. 65 |
| Military Bastions: Hopkinsville, Kentucky | p. 75 |
| Minority Central: Baton Rouge, Louisiana | p. 85 |
| Monied Burbs: Los Alamos, New Mexico | p. 95 |
| Mormon Outposts: Burley, Idaho | p. 105 |
| Service Worker Centers: Lincoln City, Oregon | p. 115 |
| Tractor Country: Sioux Center, Iowa | p. 125 |
| The Economy | p. 135 |
| Politics | p. 159 |
| Culture | p. 187 |
| Conclusion | p. 213 |
| Appendix | p. 219 |
| Notes | p. 307 |
| Index | p. 313 |
