Robert Wuthnow. The Left Behind: Decline and Rage in Rural America. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2018. 200 pp. $24.95 (cloth), ISBN 978-0-691-17766-3.
Reviewed by Jessica Spiess (Public History Professionals, LLC)
Published on H-Environment (January, 2022)
Commissioned by Daniella McCahey (Texas Tech University)
In his latest book, The Left Behind: Decline and Rage in Rural America, Robert Wuthnow explores the rural American life that he has been familiar with for decades. As a sociologist and scholarly researcher with many published works, Wuthnow interviewed thousands of people over the years, focusing on their lives, stories, interests, and political ideals. Because of his previous experience, Wuthnow thought he could provide a better perspective than national media in telling the stories of rural America and explaining why their views differ from those of urban Americans. Wuthnow hoped to show rural Americans in ways that are different from their portrayal by the media today. He argues that morality has resulted in distinct views and political leanings in the small towns and communities that make up rural America. Moral beliefs extend across communities and rarely align with the immoral style of politicians in Washington DC. However, his argument is not always clearly defined or presented. He considers the lives of people in a community but does not fully explore all aspects of the community, including the environment in relation to rural America. Furthermore, as someone who qualifies as a rural American, I struggle to grasp all the statements and generalizations that he makes.
By analyzing different undisclosed communities and the people within them, Wuthnow provides a place for readers to imagine rural America, setting the stage early for readers. He mentions the tell-tale signs of a small community, like everyone knowing everyone at least in a theoretical sense. Once he establishes a place, in chapter 2, Wuthnow identifies the threats or “dangers” to these places: population decline, drugs, brain drain, teen pregnancy, and lack of jobs. All of these issues are certainly common problems for small communities, and as a result, they are useful connection points. This chapter also includes the most diverse set of sources within any chapter of the book. Once he identifies concerns, in chapter 3, Wuthnow presents solutions that communities use as a means of moving forward. The solutions, all relatively similar, involve volunteering and helping others within the community: neighbors taking care of neighbors, including through religiously connected assistance. He provides few other solutions. Chapter 4 is where Washington DC becomes the focus and villain of rural Americans. This chapter describes how the divide between rural Americans and politicians took place, but as one of the least cited chapters in the book, it is somewhat confusing to follow. Overall, the takeaway is that rural Americans do not approve of the political system in Washington DC because it does not fit their moral and common-sense ideas. His argument falls apart further when he returns to decline and dangers in rural America in the next chapter. The overarching focus of the decline has no connection to the arguments of the previous chapters. Wuthnow examines how negative opinions about homosexuality and abortion are moral presences within rural America, connecting his arguments directly to the Republican political platforms seen regularly today, even providing names of current Republican leaders. The last chapter looks at what Wuthnow considers a sort of scapegoat for rural America, bigotry. He focuses on many forms of bigotry, including racism and misogyny, but states that no matter the type of bigotry, the root reason for hatred or negative feelings is a way for rural Americans to write off people who did not fit into their community system. Wuthnow ends his evaluation of rural American life on a sad and somewhat sour note while arguing that rural Americans are still good people, just angry at Washington DC. The mixed style of development of the argument throughout the book makes it hard for a clear conclusion to be drawn. The introduction and conclusion help to clarify Wuthnow’s argument but they are not easy to grasp on their own.
Although Wuthnow describes rural America in a way that most readers would agree with, he could have backed up his argument with more sources, particularly sources that he had not created (such as interviews and private research data) or previously used in earlier publications. If he had used and cited all the sources he lists in his further reading section, the book would likely have been clearer and more concise. This could have helped to better clarify his statements and better explain his argument about why rural Americans are upset with politics and politicians in Washington DC. Wuthnow regularly relies on generalizations that he justifies with his research that explains only parts of rural America today. As someone who has lived most of their life in rural America, I find some of Wuthnow’s generalizations nearly as frustrating as what is seen on TV, no matter the channel. His goal is to extend beyond the typical media perspectives, but because of the lack of diverse sources and regular use of generalizations, his book unfortunately leaves readers confused. Although the context and place of rural America are identified well, the explanation for rural America’s choices is lacking. The connection to why so many people in rural America chose to show up and vote for Republicans in 2016 is missing. Wuthnow argues that it was just a culmination of previous events and an existing divide between rural America and Washington DC. There was no explanation of why more people showed up to vote in 2016 versus previous elections. If that is the case, then why did he need to write the book?
In the end, The Left Behind leaves questions unanswered. Although readers will begin to understand some of what makes up rural American life, the argument is hard to understand and difficult to prove. A disagreement in morals certainly affects how rural America votes, but this is not a new shift. Wuthnow does not show what made things different in recent elections. He also could have explored environmental impacts on farming or industries found in rural America and the effects these have on the lives of people within these communities. Wuthnow sheds light on rural Americans and identifies some of their key concerns, but he struggles to argue why rural America is declining in power, prestige, and population or even why rural Americans are upset. Finally, as we continue to push through the COVID-19 pandemic, I cannot help but wonder if rural America is changing yet again; only time will tell. Hopefully, more research and investigation can help Americans of all backgrounds and geographies to find a way to improve together in the future.
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Citation:
Jessica Spiess. Review of Wuthnow, Robert, The Left Behind: Decline and Rage in Rural America.
H-Environment, H-Net Reviews.
January, 2022.
URL: http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=56744
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