Searching For Whitopia:
An Improbable Journey to the Heart of White America
by Rich Benjamin
From the Publisher:
By 2042, whites will no longer be the American majority. As immigrant populations–largely people of color–increase in cities and suburbs, more and more whites are moving to small towns and exurban areas that are predominately, even extremely, white.
Rich Benjamin calls these enclaves “Whitopias” (pronounced: “White-o-pias”).
His journey to unlock the mysteries of Whitopias took him from a three-day white separatist retreat with links to Aryan Nations in North Idaho to the inner sanctum of George W. Bush’s White House–and many points in between. And to learn what makes Whitopias tick, and why and how they are growing, he lived in three of them (in Georgia, Idaho, and Utah) for several months apiece. A compelling raconteur, bon vivant, and scholar, Benjamin reveals what Whitopias are like and explores the urgent social and political implications of this startling phenomenon.
The glow of Barack Obama’s historic election cannot obscure the racial and economic segregation still vexing America. Obama’s presidency has actually raised the stakes in a battle royale between two versions of America: one that is broadly comfortable with diversity yet residentially segregated (ObamaNation) and one that does not mind a little ethnic food or a few mariachi dancers–as long as these trends do not overwhelm a white dominant culture (Whitopia).
About the Author:
Rich Benjamin, author of Searching for Whitopia:An Improbable Journey to the Heart of White America, is Senior Fellow at Demos, a nonpartisan national think tank based in New York City. His social and political commentary is featured in major newspapers nationwide, on NPR and Fox Radio, and in many scholarly venues,. He holds a B.A. from Wesleyan University and a Ph.D. from Stanford University.
My Review:
Wow – I think I used up all my brain cells on this one.
As a married (for 36 years), white, middle aged female
(with 9 biological children, and 1 adopted [black] child),
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from this book.
I think that I was looking for some real underlined anger from the author,
but didn’t actually find any.
This book brings up more questions than it answers…
“food for thought” kind of questions.
Hmmmmmmmmm?
According to the information in the appendix,
I live in one of the “Extreme Whitopias”.
(Listed by the author, as counties that are at
least 90 percent non-Hispanic white; with total population
growth of at least 10 percent after 2000; and with
at least 75 percent of that growth coming from
non-Hispanic whites. Information based from
2000-2006)
Weird, because when I go out to public places
(grocery stores, mass market merchandise establishments,
gas stations, etc. etc.) I certainly don’t feel like
I’m in an area with such high numbers of Non-Hispanic whites.
Almost the opposite.
My husband and I didn’t move here because of any
race related issues in mind, but because we could get
more house for the money, and so that our youngest
(who happens to be the adopted black child)
could easily walk to school.
I’ve substituted at the local high school and at
2 of the local elementary schools here
(2 of which are a “stones throw” from my home),
and the tide seems to be turning – as Benjamin predicts.
As of the 2008-2009 school year, I could use my hands and feet
to count the number of black (or people of color)
students at the high school…
but the numbers in the elementary schools are much much much larger.
I don’t know what to say…accept that I feel more comfortable
with people who are like me…don’t we ALL?
I’m the happiest when I’m around people who have the
same religious and political views,
(which encompasses my value system) as I do.
Does that make me a bad person?
Does that make me a racist?
I don’t think so, and I don’t think that this is the point that
Benjamin is trying to make.
He’s just “putting it out there” the way he sees it.
I’ll leave you with this…
Searching for Whitopia:An Improbable Journey to the Heart of White America
will make you think, and isn’t that
what books are all about?
Check it out for yourself, and see what you think.
Thanks FSB for making it possible for me to
read and review this book.
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DISCLAIMER
I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me,
in exchange for my HONEST review.
No items that I receive “in kind”
are ever sold…they are kept by me,
given to family or friends,
or donated to The Polk Education Foundation,
my local library, or given away on
contests on this blog.
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