White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America
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White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America

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White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in AmericaThe New York Times Bestseller, with a new preface from the author "This estimable book rides into the summer doldrums like rural electrification. . . . It deals in the truths that matter." Dwight Garner, The New York Times "This eye opening investigation into our country's entrenched social hierarchy is acutely relevant." O, The Oprah Magazine "White Trash will change the way we think about our past and present." T. J. Stiles, Pulitzer Prize winning


The New York Times Bestseller, with a new preface from the author

"This estimable book rides into the summer doldrums like rural electrification. . . . It deals in the truths that matter."--Dwight Garner, The New York Times

"This eye-opening investigation into our country's entrenched social hierarchy is acutely relevant."--O, The Oprah Magazine

"White Trash will change the way we think about our past and present."
--T. J. Stiles, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Custer's Trials

In her groundbreaking bestselling history of the class system in America, Nancy Isenberg, co-author of The Problem of Democracy, takes on our comforting myths about equality, uncovering the crucial legacy of the ever-present, always embarrassing--if occasionally entertaining--poor white trash.

"When you turn an election into a three-ring circus, there's always a chance that the dancing bear will win," says Isenberg of the political climate surrounding Sarah Palin. And we recognize how right she is today. Yet the voters that put Trump in the White House have been a permanent part of our American fabric, argues Isenberg.

The wretched and landless poor have existed from the time of the earliest British colonial settlement to today's hillbillies. They were alternately known as "waste people," "offals," "rubbish," "lazy lubbers," and "crackers." By the 1850s, the downtrodden included so-called "clay eaters" and "sandhillers," known for prematurely aged children distinguished by their yellowish skin, ragged clothing, and listless minds.

Surveying political rhetoric and policy, popular literature and scientific theories over four hundred years, Isenberg upends assumptions about America's supposedly class-free society--where liberty and hard work were meant to ensure real social mobility. Poor whites were central to the rise of the Republican Party in the early nineteenth century, and the Civil War itself was fought over class issues nearly as much as it was fought over slavery. Reconstruction pitted poor white trash against newly freed slaves, which factored in the rise of eugenics--a widely popular movement embraced by Theodore Roosevelt that targeted poor whites for sterilization. These poor were at the heart of New Deal reforms and LBJ's Great Society; they haunt us in reality TV shows like Here Comes Honey Boo Boo and Duck Dynasty. Marginalized as a class, white trash have always been at or near the center of major political debates over the character of the American identity.

We acknowledge racial injustice as an ugly stain on our nation's history. With Isenberg's landmark book, we will have to face the truth about the enduring, malevolent nature of class as well.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Penguin Group
Published: 04/04/2017
ISBN: 9780143129677
Pages: 496
Weight: 0.95lbs
Size: 8.30h x 5.40w x 1.20d
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SKU: 93893139210

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Percy L. Strickland
Battle Creek, US
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The Power of Story in the Information Age
Format: Hardcover
After reading John Inazu's first book 'Confident Pluralism', I thought this might be a deeper foray into the legal/cultural difficulty of living faithfully in a pluralistic society. Instead, Inazu and Keller do something different. They challenge us to listen to stories of folks seeking to embody the principles of 'confident pluralism'. Does it offer easy answers? No. However, it does offer us a window into the rich ways that God can move us, transform us and position us for His purposes in communities where we might have deep disagreements. Overall, these stories of small and large acts of faithfulness to exemplify Christ's humility, patience and tolerance were deeply encouraging to person that constantly tries the patient of a God whose love he does not deserve. Very thankful to Inazu and Keller for organizing this. This is an important conversation in an acrimonious age where we falsely substitute information/vital statistics for people/real relationship.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2020
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Lee Boso
New York, US
★★★★★ 3
easily accessible stories for engaging the culture
Format: Kindle
Inazu gathers stories of Christians seeking to engage the broader culture while maintaining their faithful beliefs. I appreciate the varied perspectives, though not agreeing with all, but then his four categories as the beginning of practicing this. That one line demonstrated a humility that I appreciated. This brings practical application into a narrative form that should be easily accessible
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Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2025
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Cole Lescher
Chelsea, US
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A Breath of Fresh Air
Format: Hardcover
In a world that is filled with Christian books on how to defeat culture or to escape from it this book is a breath of fresh air. In the 10 years that I have worked with young people one of the hardest concepts to get across to them is that their work matters. And even beyond that, how do we work with or partner with people who are different than me? How do we work together for a common good? That they have opportunities to engage the world around them. This book helps to give words to what that looks like. Not only is it filled with diverse writers, it doesn't give easy answers but ones of hope. I am grateful for this work and will share it with any college senior, young adult, and parishioner that I can. BUY THIS BOOK!
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Great product
Size: 90 Count (Pack of 2)
Great product, great price & gentle on the sensitive stomach.
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