Exurbia Now: The Battleground of American Democracy

Exurbia Now: The Battleground of American Democracy
by: David Masciotra (Author)
Publisher: Melville House Publishing
Publication Date: 2 April 2024
Language: English
Print Length: 288 pages
ISBN-10: 168589089X
ISBN-13: 9781685890896
Book Description
The term ‘Exurbia’ is offered as the explanation for the rise of Donald Trump, and the extreme, violent right. But what exactly is it and how potent a force is it? In Exurbia Now political and cultural journalist David Masciotra travels through the ‘exurban’ and suburban parts of ‘Chicagoland’ – the greater metropolitan area of Chicago – tracking the path of White Flight throughout the US, and outlining how the exurban existence has evolved from ‘slow living’ to right wing hostility toward broader American culture. Simultaneously outrageous and reassuring, Masciotra delves into the dynamics that exist within exurban communities, specifically how modern media, the death of local media, Christian nationalism, and the ongoing neglect of public goods and natural resources have exacerbated the divide between the exurban world and the urban and suburban. Combining interviews, research, and anecdote – and anchored in personal experience – Exurbia Now delivers a powerful ballad on the state of the exurbs and suburbs, and gives voice to those working towards a better future.