nbcknwlf's review against another edition
3.0
Just ok. The book's entire premise is neatly summarized in the Epilogue and you can probably skip the rest and just read that to get the meat of what the author wants to say if you're short on time. I found the rest of the book tedious. Frank makes a lot of astute observations but seems so intent on demonstrating why someone would be an idiot to believe anything said by conservatives that it just comes off as condescending and beating a dead horse. The most interesting things to me were the historical bits showing shift in perspective - i felt those spoke for themselves pretty well but then he just keeps beating you over the head with his take on it.
It's a decent book, and definitely timely in the wake of the recent election even tho it is over 10 years old. Glad I read it, not sure i recommend it. I dont think it would convince anyone that didn't already agree with Frank. Maybe it's not supposed to.
It's a decent book, and definitely timely in the wake of the recent election even tho it is over 10 years old. Glad I read it, not sure i recommend it. I dont think it would convince anyone that didn't already agree with Frank. Maybe it's not supposed to.
mcatsambas's review against another edition
4.0
It was interesting to see how today's sociopolitical dynamics played out in 2004.
jjgerend's review against another edition
challenging
informative
medium-paced
3.0
The funny thing about this book is that one of the main threads is how the left has been alienating rural America, but the complex vocabulary used in this book probably alienates most people. Still liked it though!
jcschildbach's review against another edition
5.0
Funny and insightful, but kind of sad, Frank explores how Republicans on the higher end of the economic spectrum have managed to create Republicans on the lower end of the economic spectrum by duping them into believing that Republicans stand for Christian values, all while promoting a large number of policies that would make Satan ashamed to have his name tied to them--and doing absolutely nothing but paying lip service to those social issues that have drawn in the duped.
docfaustus's review against another edition
3.0
This book seems, to me, to be much more editorial than research. The author sets out his theory at the start (Why does Kansas et al keep moving further and further right? Backlash!), but I don't think ever offered any sort of researched case for it.
There's lots of info here describing the shift of Kansas politics from staunchly progressive to far-right, but I don't think he successfully argues that that shift is because of the reasons he lays out.
There's lots of info here describing the shift of Kansas politics from staunchly progressive to far-right, but I don't think he successfully argues that that shift is because of the reasons he lays out.
dja777's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting, but also scary and depressing, especially when he talks about the anti-intellectualism at the heart of much of the current conservative movement.
rica165's review against another edition
2.0
Though informative, this book tells you in way too many chapters what could have been summarized in a rolling stone article.
kfedwards88's review against another edition
2.0
I learned early on that reading the opinion pages of the newspaper was just spitting into the wind. You get so fed up to the point that you have to do something about it, and then you end up making it worse. Much of "What's the Matter with Kansas" was a play-by-play rehashing of the news stories that have helped make Kansas the laughing stock of the nation. While I find Frank's concept of "cultural backlash" interesting, it still doesn't answer the question of "why do rural people continue to elect politicians who don't act in their best interest." Contrary to popular opinion, Kansans aren't so stupid as to have the wool continuously pulled over our eyes as this book alludes. I believe the answer to that question is much more complicated than "cultural backlash" alone. While I find the rural-urban dichotomy and the rampant fundamentalism in the heartland fascinating, after I finished this book all I felt like I had done was spit into the wind.
*Disclaimer: I'm one of the many college-educated Kansans who left the state in pursuit of a job, and I am not a fundamentalist in any way, shape, or form.
*Disclaimer: I'm one of the many college-educated Kansans who left the state in pursuit of a job, and I am not a fundamentalist in any way, shape, or form.