book review

October 24, 2018

The Great Revolt – Book Review

Salena Zito has been a political journalist for almost 15 years. Her rule for traveling is “no planes, no interstates and no hotels.” While many pundits, journalists, political strategists, and the like tend to fly over the rural and industrial areas of America, Zito stays at the local bed-and-breakfasts and eats at the local diners. This dedication to getting to know Middle America has given Zito a compelling vantage point for understanding the 2016 election. Her book The Great Revolt (co-written with Republican strategist Brad Todd) introduces us to the counties and citizens who put Donald Trump in the White House. Through a compelling mix of anecdotal insight, extensive number-crunching, and substantive analysis, the book showcases “the populist coalition reshaping American politics.”

The authors identify several archetypal Trump voters, from the much-discussed Evangelical to the Independent who only votes once in a blue moon. The section on the white working class voter contains several surprises. The authors note that “among those surveyed for this book in this demographic, 84% were actually optimistic about the future of their career, even as they expressed concern for their communities.” (20.) In addition, this voter group “ranked Trump’s promise to bring back manufacturing jobs as more important than his promises to protect safety-net programs or his pledges to build a wall on the Mexican border or put conservative judges on the Supreme Court” (20.) On a much more sobering note, “fully half of this group reports that they know someone personally who has battled drug addiction.” (21)

Similar to this group is another voter demographic that the authors call the Rough Rebounders, who tended to be Trump’s fiercest supporters.

Regarding this group, the authors write: “whether they were bouncing back from foreclosure, bankruptcy, multiple family breakups, or business calamity, Rough Rebounders saw in Trump something they wanted to believe about themselves – a resilient and unconventional survivor who seemed tougher than his critics and his obstacles.” The authors note that “Trump’s missteps and gaffes and penchant for saying the impolite, the inappropriate, or just the inaccurate, endeared him even more to many of these voters.” (79)

Another fascinating voter group identified by the authors is the Rotary Reliables. Here’s the demographic summary:

“The Rotary Reliables are at the top of the pyramid in their communities, the kind of people who run the factories, banks, and civic organizations. But unlike the upper class congregating in the nation’s most elite zip codes, these voters spend much of their lives intersecting not with fellow college-educated professionals, but with working-class voters. They hunt and fish with them, they share PTA duty at school with them, they sit on the same church pews. Unlike the corporate manager who lives in a cul-de-sac outside Dallas or Philadelphia, these college-educated voters in less-educated communities knew plenty of people who were not only voting for Trump, but were enthusiastic about him.” (145)

The most important thing to note about this voter group is that they “voted with their neighbors and not their economic or educational class” (146.) The authors explain that “the sense that Trump was looking at the overlooked, and fighting for the forgotten in Middle America, enabled him to succeed with the upper-middle-class votes in places like Erie who are scarcely different demographically from the suburbanites who were the weakest part of the Trump coalition” (159.)

The broader county-based data analysis is a particular strength of the book. The authors draw attention to the sheer number of counties that were crucial to Trump’s election:

“Thirty-five counties in Ohio, long the nation’s premier presidential bellwether, swung 25 or more points from 2012 to 2016. Twenty-three countries in Wisconsin, thirty-two counties in Iowa, and twelve counties in Michigan switched from Obama to Trump in the space of four years. With few exceptions, these places are locales where most of America’s decision makers and opinion leaders have never been.” (3) On the other hand, “of the forty-four mega counties in the nation with populations over one million, Trump carried only three – Tarrant County, Texas, which includes Fort Worth; Maricopa County, Arizona, which includes Phoenix; and Suffolk County on Long Island, New York” (144.) In these counties “Trump’s net margin of votes in mega counties was worse than Romney’s in thirty-two of the forty-four” (144.)

A surprising finding is that “Trump did very well among the college-educated in counties farther away from major cities – a vital component of the record margins he assembled in those non-metropolitan counties” (144.) Though, as might have been expected, “in counties with far more than the national average of 29.8 percent of adults with bachelor’s degrees, Trump fared poorly. Of America’s one hundred most educated counties, he carried only nineteen – Romney had carried twenty-six” (144.) Regarding these findings, the authors summarize that “Americans who live their lives among a group of friends and neighbors with varied educational backgrounds preferred Trump more than Clinton or Romney, while college-educated Americans who live exclusively among other degree holders were less likely to support Trump, even if they were otherwise Republican” (145.)

The book also features insightful analysis of specific counties that voted for Trump such as Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. The authors write: “traditionally, Luzerne County has been emblematic of the heart and soul of the working-class wing of the Democratic Party. Its residents personified the character traits of the New Dealers; they supported government social programs that served as a safety net for the residents, they were pro-life, pro-gun, they joined unions and churches alike” (28.) Trump’s victory in Luzerne was crucial in securing the state, but it’s rather remarkable that this historically blue county went red. After all, “in 2008, Barack Obama beat Republican nominee Senator John McCain of Arizona by 9 percentage points in this county; he beat Mitt Romney in 2012 by 5 points” (31.) And yet, a mere four years later, Trump beat Clinton in this county by a 20 point margin.

So what does the future of United States politics look like? Zito echoes the notion that there are two Americas. One America is found in the Big Four clusters [New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington D.C.] which is dominated by various keywords like “cosmopolitan” and “multiculturalism” and “open borders.” That America is powered by the technocratic progressivism on full display in Hillary Clinton’s campaign. And then there is the America that is so diligently detailed in The Great Revolt. Zito writes that “the emerging populist-conservative coalition is in no small measure a resistance to the mores and powers of those Big Four clusters – and the Democratic message of the Obama era has proven to be a purely distilled insistence on conformity to the values, societal norms, and priorities of that hyper-educated, metropolitan class.” Zito explains that “if the people who make branding, news, and political decisions are immersed in environments hostile to a coalition that represents a governing majority of the nation, cultural schism is the most likely outcome.” (236) Zito identifies the NFL controversy as one example of this schism and warns that “the NFL won’t be the last gas tank to combust under the friction of the colliding mores of coastal brands and heartland populists” (257.)

Nevertheless, the idea of an emerging ascendant multicultural coalition of voters remains increasingly plausible as well, and in fact, both the Democratic party and large businesses like Starbucks and Google, are banking on the future of that coalition. Zito quotes the journalist Ron Brownstein: “in the long run, Republicans have a demographic problem and Democrats have a geographic problem” (263.) The future likely belongs to whichever political party can solve their respective problem the fastest.

July 31, 2016

A City Transformed – Book Review

Lancaster City is one of the oldest inland cities in the United States of America. It was originally settled in 1709 by German immigrants, the Pennsylvania Dutch. Lancaster was originally known as Hickory Town and was designed by James Hamilton. Lancaster was chartered as a city on March 10, 1818. During the Revolutionary War, Lancaster was the capital of the American colonies for one day, September 27, 1777, when Congress was fleeing from the British. Lancaster was also capital of Pennsylvania from 1799 till 1812.

In his book A City Transformed, David Schuyler traces the history of redevelopment in Lancaster City from 1940 through 1980. Schuyler is Professor of American Studies at Franklin & Marshall College and he has spent a lot of his academic career exploring the challenges cities faced during the second half of the 20th century.

In the postwar years, cities across America faced drastic economic decline. Lancaster was one such city and in order to try and address this decline, the city adopted various urban renewal programs with the goal of revitalizing the city and particularly downtown. Sadly, as Schuyler documents, most of these government-driven programs were failures that often exacerbated the problems. One of the greatest issues facing Lancaster was the need for affordable housing. Schuyler writes that “the discovery of a crisis in housing was the initial step in the development of a comprehensive urban renewal program for Lancaster” (pg. 35) After the Lancaster newspaper drew attention to the substandard living of poor residents in Barney Google Row and Shanytown where the “houses” were shacks with no running water or electric, Lancasterian leaders decided that something needed to be done. Unfortunately over the course of the next several decades, providing adequate housing for poorer families would prove a harder task than what was imagined.

Pertaining to housing, Schuyler documents in heartbreaking detail the unintended effects of gentrification with the Church-Musser plan for townhouse development which led to large increases of rent driving out poorer families from their homes. Schuyler also explores the ugly reality of segregation and the ways in which racial tensions also hurt families and kept them from accessing affordable housing.

One recurring theme in A City Transformed is how government intervention consistently made things worse. For example, during the summer of 1965, Lancaster’s leaders decided to demolish the historic west block of Lancaster despite intense public opposition. Schuyler writes that “despite the concerns, citizens voiced at the September 1964 public hearing, and despite editorials that warned against turning downtown into a rubble-strewn wasteland … members of City Council and the Redevelopment Authority abandoned a policy that had prevented premature demolition and adopted a new one that ensured it.” After demolishing the west block, the block sat vacant for almost a full decade and became known as “our hole in the ground” (pg. 87).

A City Transformed is a sobering account of Lancaster’s history here in the 20th century and the struggles for economic sustainability and affordable housing. Despite the best interests of Lancaster’s leaders, often the very initiatives that were hoped to alleviate the problems of the poor and revitalize the economy had the opposite effects. Nevertheless, the book is also a celebration of the enduring spirit of Lancastrians, their compassionate conservatism, and their work to try and make the city a better place for everyone.

September 30, 2015

Lessons Of Hope – Book Review

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Joel Klein was not a field insider when New York mayor Bloomburg asked him to be Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education. In fact, prior to, he had worked at a high-paying law firm and in the White House under the Clinton administration. Still, Bloomburg could see that Klein was a strategic thinker and moreover, the kind of man who would stick to his guns under pressure and when the criticism was heaviest.

Alongside Bloomburg, Klein ushered in many education reform initiatives. He championed school choice, smaller schools, more accountability, and better standards. It didn’t take for him to learn that the status quo is not easily challenged and deeply entrenched forces such as teacher unions don’t respond well to change.

In Lessons of Hope: How to Fix Our Schools, Klein shares a firsthand account of his experiences as Chancellor. He introduces us to the main characters: the people he worked alongside, the people that opposed his initiatives, and the members of the public whose words changed his life.

There is an urgency in the book. Klein understands firsthand the importance of these reforms, the great need for school choice. At one point in the book, he shares the formative experience of speaking with an African-American father. The man’s daughter was thriving academically, having been admitted to a “good, out-of-district school which accepted students from other communities.” His son, however, was not so lucky: “he attended a neighborhood school with a much worse reputation, where he was not being well educated.” In reflecting on that experience and the heart that father had to see both his children succeed, Klein writes, “to this day, I tear up when I think about that wonderful man.” – pg. 77

Lessons of Hope shines brightest when it focuses in on the power of local communities and the role they play in education reform. Klein writes:

“. . .When it came to public education, New Yorkers, like people everywhere, cared most about their neighborhood schools. They didn’t identify with the system as a whole, which was comprised of more than a thousand schools. The system was as remote to them as any big bureaucracy, but their children and their neighbors’ children were dependent on local teachers, administrators, and staff to keep them safe, teach them what they needed to know, and help them grow into productive citizens. A good local school cast a glow on the surrounding community, becoming a source of pride, social energy, and even economic stability . . .” – pg. 22

As an example of how Klein connects this understanding with specific education reform initiatives, Klein’s team developed an online service giving parents relevant information about their kids and schools. This struck a nerve and hundreds of thousands of parents logged on. Klein writes: “It was exciting: people were getting information about kids and using it to help them improve.” – pg. 201

Lessons of Hope reminds us that we are always learning and therefore, the way we do education needs to grow along with us. Indeed, Klein goes so far as to say that this understanding of learning is central not just to school but also to life.

“Our guiding notion was that every school should be a community of learners. Under this model, students, principals, teachers, support staff, and parents would all act as lifelong students, continually seeking new knowledge and sharing the excitement of learning. In this kind of school, life itself would be defined as a learning process, with every day bringing the possibility of a new skill or idea.” – pg. 192

This one statement summarizes much of Klein’s vision for education. A strong community, excellent leaders, and engaged parents – all committed to lifelong learning – these are tenets that provide the foundation for all the important education reform that is taking place and will continue to take place.

September 16, 2015

Smart Parents – Book Review

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I recently picked up the new book, “Smart Parents: Parenting For Powerful Learning,” and it is a must-read for parents and educators. The authors, Bonnie Lathram, Carri Schneider and Tom Vander Ark, are leading bloggers and pioneer thinkers who write at Getting Smart.com.

According to the book, Smart Parents are:

Involved in their children’s lives,
Informed about and advocates for their children’s learning,
Intentional about creating powerful learning experiences
Inspirational as learning guides and role models.

The authors themselves are parents as well as educators and they understand just how significant parental engagement is in the life of a child.

“We believe parents play the most important role in helping to create conditions in which student-centered learning can thrive—at home, at school and everywhere in between (p. 29).

This belief fuels their philosophy of hands-on parental engagement.

“We believe in the potential of technology to improve student access and extend learning opportunities, but parenting for powerful learning is not about plugging your kids into technology and proudly declaring victory over the shifting realities of the 21st century.

The real point of parenting for powerful learning means that parents play a critical role in helping their children navigate the myriad formal and informal options that are available to them, helping to equip them with the habits and mindsets necessary to drive their own learning (p. 38).

While most parents desire to help their children grow, learn, and succeed, the overabundance of parenting guides can leave parents feeling bewildered. The authors write:

From playground conversations to reports in the national media, both anecdotal and research-based evidence exists that confirms that modern-day parents feel confused and conflicted about everything from screen time to school choice and “opting out” of state tests to “opting in” to traditional college paths. Parents turn to social media, take advice from parent bloggers, ask their friends and neighbors and, in some cases, even hire education consultants to help them weigh school options (p. 35).

But this confusion is unnecessary. The authors point out that we can trust ourselves and fellow parents to do a good job.

Discovering each kid’s true nature—his or her strengths, challenges, idiosyncrasies, dreams, fears—that’s all we really need to know to be good parents. When parents figure out what works for their own kids, they’re empowered in new and meaningful ways (p. 51).

The first half of the book lays the groundwork with chapters on the roles and responsibilities of parents and students in navigating educational opportunities, letting students learn at their own pace, encouraging anywhere, anytime learning, etc.. The second half of the book provides a Smart Parents Toolkit, organized by age group with helpful tips, ideas, and resources on everything from balancing outdoor play / screen time, to creating individualized learning plans, to making sense of higher education.

Here’s a great quote from the book that I think really captures the heart of the material:

“Smart Parents appreciate that every young person is unique and that each mixture of expectations and supports is uniquely adjusted for each learner. Smart Parents have a commitment to cultivating unique talents and linking them to a cause students care about. Smart parents help young people discover and explore their passions and purpose” (p. 183).

To buy the book, click here. Below are the Twitter profiles for the co-authors of the book. They are worth following.

Tweets by @belathram

Tweets by @CarriSchneider

Tweets by @tvanderark

August 5, 2015

“The Truth About Trust” – Book Review

Trust is one of the basic components of daily life. Whether it’s trusting a spouse to remain faithful or an employer to compensate you for the hours you worked or yourself to stick to that diet, being trustworthy and ascertaining the trustworthiness of others are imperatives.

In The Truth About Trust, David DeSteno, PhD, explores the importance of trust in determining success in life, love, and learning, etc.. while also exploring the mechanics for how we perceive trustworthiness. As it turns out, the image in popular imagination of the human lie detector who reads miniscule changes in facial expression is mostly Hollywood myth. Another insight is that while we are prone to using past behavior (also known as reputation) in our quest to determine the level of trustworthiness of another, this approach is often ineffective because “human behavior is quite variable” (pg. 16) meaning past behavior does not necessarily predict future behavior.

For the purposes of this review, I’d like to look at two findings the book reports on that are relevant to my readership. The first insight is on the dark side of the biological hormone Oxytocin and how that effects parenting in light of peer orientation. The second insight is on the importance of respect in creating trust in a learning environment.

1. Oxytocin is a bonding agent that the body produces. The hormone induces labor and creates a strong biological bond between mother and newborn baby. The hormone is produced in physical interactions like hugs and even handshakes. It’s no wonder then that it has been hailed as “love glue.” Bu it also has some downsides which have only recently been explored. While Oxytocin produces warm fuzzy feelings for how one responds to someone in the “in-group” [such as a family member or good friend], it can also increase feelings of envy, discriminatory prejudice and judgment, etc., of members of an “out-group.”

This is significant in light of the research of Dr. Neufeld. Firstly, in-group bonds between say middleschool friends can be quite intense but then too their harsh treatment of the new kid or the outsider can be equally intense. Oxytocin is involved both in the affections shown toward insiders and the hostility shown toward outsiders. Secondly, in Dr. Neufeld’s seminal work Hold On To Your Kids, he demonstrates that peer orientation can often result in a peer group replacing the attachment and loyalty of the bond to family (particularly parents but also siblings.) Again, Oxcytocin can work as two-edged sword, bonding kids to friends and pushing them away from parents. (Click here to read more about Dr. Neufeld on attachment.) Click here to access my series on parental engagement, an importance stabilizing force for mitigating concerns of peer orientation – or for more on attachment, click here and here.

2. On a more positive, but equally important note, The Truth About Trust presents research which empirically demonstrates that trust is essential for children to learn. One study, Young children’s selective trust in informants, authored by Paul L. Harris* and Kathleen H. Corriveau, found that preschoolers were able to choose between competing truth claims by selecting the source they found the more trustworthy. The two key takeaways were that preschoolers, with secure attachments, trusted primary caregivers over anyone, failing that, they trusted the source who was seen to be most like them (ie., culturally), and failing that, they trusted the source who had demonstrated the most reliability in the past.

The book also reports research which states that “Children actually remember information better – the same information – if they hear it from a trustworthy source as opposed to an untrustworthy source.” (pg. 74) Additionally (and significantly), students respond better to teachers they trust than teachers they merely like (be a mentor, not a friend.)

Trusting someone is inherently risky and yet without trust, our society would not be able to function. The Truth About Trust doesn’t offer any fail-safe formulas or gimmicky manipulation tricks. Instead, the book walks through the various systems, conscious and subconscious, within us that affect how we trust, whom we trust, and how we ourselves act in any given situation. The main takeaway though is that trust matters and that when it comes to learning, trust that flows out of a secure attachment is essential. This is good news: as parents, it means nature is on our side. We can trust ourselves as parents and as a result of our love, our children can trust us, which provides our children with the support system they need in order to grow and develop into lifelong learners.

The Great Revolt – Book Review

A City Transformed – Book Review

Lessons Of Hope – Book Review

Smart Parents – Book Review

“The Truth About Trust” – Book Review

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