ngilbert's review
reflective
fast-paced
3.5
While the essays were individually fairly well written, moving through this book I had the feeling that each was too short.
bibliocyclist's review
3.0
“The only thing very noticeable about Nebraska was that it was still, all day long, Nebraska.” –WC
otterno11's review
4.0
This is an entry in my ongoing study of Midwestern materials, that I introduce here.*
A quick and interesting read, the essays included in Red State Blues explore the conflicting feelings of being on the left from the perspectives of people living in the Midwest, seen as prototypical conservative America, especially after the dismaying results of the 2016 Election. After swathes of white voters turned Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania red in support of Trump, the question, from both outside and within the region, became why? While here in blue Minnesota, I felt somewhat isolated from the distress of seeing my state turn to fear, the tensions of rural versus urban, isolationism versus openness, are definitely present and we have the example of Wisconsin right next door. The voices published here (from moderate Democrats, progressive activists, and more radical perspectives alike) have some very thought provoking things to say, that really gives me food for thought.
While half of the included essays come from just three states, Ohio, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, the parallels are definitely there. While some may argue that, say, Pennsylvania is even part of the so-called midwest (and to us Minnesotans, even Ohio can be too “east coast”), the borders are vague and hard to define. Exploring themes of the general sense of place in these states, interacting with family, being stuck in bubbles, and the future of leftist thought in Trump’s America, I felt that each of them do have something interesting to say, even if they, on occasion, felt a little rushed.
A few of the essays that really stuck with me include the descriptions of the atrocities against the indigenous people of Pennsylvania and resentment of their urban elite from Ed Simon, Tara Roses’ descriptions of the racist burger loving librarians of Dearborn, Greggor Mattson and Tory Spark’s survey of gay bars in small cities and towns across the Midwest (from Cedar Rapid, Iowa’s Belles Basix to tiny Kragnes, Minnesota’s Sanctuary Bar and Bistro), and Missourian Sarah Kendzior’s desire for more local journalists being included in the national conversation.
Also disturbing (and relatable) were Dana Aritonovich, Trent Kay Maverick, and Angelea Anogost Repke’s reflections of their family members from immigrant backgrounds who have bought into Trump’s anti immigrant rhetoric, decrying the same openness to political refugees that had helped their own families. Finally, Lori Tucker-Sullivan “Introductory Communication: Teaching Across Michigan’s Urban-Rural Divide,” in which she expresses her experience teaching courses at a rural community college and an urban state university in Michigan and the political expressions of her students during the fall semester of 2016, was my favorite, illuminating and heartrending, yet hopeful. This, I feel, was the general tone of the work as a whole.
A quick and interesting read, the essays included in Red State Blues explore the conflicting feelings of being on the left from the perspectives of people living in the Midwest, seen as prototypical conservative America, especially after the dismaying results of the 2016 Election. After swathes of white voters turned Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania red in support of Trump, the question, from both outside and within the region, became why? While here in blue Minnesota, I felt somewhat isolated from the distress of seeing my state turn to fear, the tensions of rural versus urban, isolationism versus openness, are definitely present and we have the example of Wisconsin right next door. The voices published here (from moderate Democrats, progressive activists, and more radical perspectives alike) have some very thought provoking things to say, that really gives me food for thought.
While half of the included essays come from just three states, Ohio, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, the parallels are definitely there. While some may argue that, say, Pennsylvania is even part of the so-called midwest (and to us Minnesotans, even Ohio can be too “east coast”), the borders are vague and hard to define. Exploring themes of the general sense of place in these states, interacting with family, being stuck in bubbles, and the future of leftist thought in Trump’s America, I felt that each of them do have something interesting to say, even if they, on occasion, felt a little rushed.
A few of the essays that really stuck with me include the descriptions of the atrocities against the indigenous people of Pennsylvania and resentment of their urban elite from Ed Simon, Tara Roses’ descriptions of the racist burger loving librarians of Dearborn, Greggor Mattson and Tory Spark’s survey of gay bars in small cities and towns across the Midwest (from Cedar Rapid, Iowa’s Belles Basix to tiny Kragnes, Minnesota’s Sanctuary Bar and Bistro), and Missourian Sarah Kendzior’s desire for more local journalists being included in the national conversation.
Also disturbing (and relatable) were Dana Aritonovich, Trent Kay Maverick, and Angelea Anogost Repke’s reflections of their family members from immigrant backgrounds who have bought into Trump’s anti immigrant rhetoric, decrying the same openness to political refugees that had helped their own families. Finally, Lori Tucker-Sullivan “Introductory Communication: Teaching Across Michigan’s Urban-Rural Divide,” in which she expresses her experience teaching courses at a rural community college and an urban state university in Michigan and the political expressions of her students during the fall semester of 2016, was my favorite, illuminating and heartrending, yet hopeful. This, I feel, was the general tone of the work as a whole.
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