A review by marisacarpico
Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right by Arlie Russell Hochschild
challenging
dark
informative
sad
slow-paced
3.0
A struggle to finish, frankly. Many reasons why including the way certain phrases (was going to become homicidal if I had to see “empathy wall” one more time) are repeated ad nauseam to the extensive bites section.
Think I could have stood that, though, if this were structured better. The first half should have been the second half, giving us the details of these lives after we already understood what they represent in the book’s overall point. Maybe that only seems possible because the Cowboy and Rebel type chapters were set up first, but the book was a bit of a repetitive slog until the Deep Story concept is fully explained.
Also, maybe this is a journalistic motive, but I was extremely frustrated by the way easily refutable statements are left unchecked in the moment—typically with he lame excuse of the “empathy wall”. Many of these points are eventually made in their of the THREE appendices, but it’s rhetorically bizarre and frankly, irresponsible to leave them unaddressed in the moment.
I do perhaps wonder if some of this frustration is couched in the fact this research wrapped up mid-2016 and much has happened since then in the ideological battle this book essentially addresses. Regardless, a book I’ve been excited to read for years that I found a total chore to endure.
Think I could have stood that, though, if this were structured better. The first half should have been the second half, giving us the details of these lives after we already understood what they represent in the book’s overall point. Maybe that only seems possible because the Cowboy and Rebel type chapters were set up first, but the book was a bit of a repetitive slog until the Deep Story concept is fully explained.
Also, maybe this is a journalistic motive, but I was extremely frustrated by the way easily refutable statements are left unchecked in the moment—typically with he lame excuse of the “empathy wall”. Many of these points are eventually made in their of the THREE appendices, but it’s rhetorically bizarre and frankly, irresponsible to leave them unaddressed in the moment.
I do perhaps wonder if some of this frustration is couched in the fact this research wrapped up mid-2016 and much has happened since then in the ideological battle this book essentially addresses. Regardless, a book I’ve been excited to read for years that I found a total chore to endure.