Searching for Whitopia
An Improbable Journey to the Heart of White America
By Rich Benjamin
(Hyperion Books, Hardcover, 9781401322687, 354pp.)
Publication Date: October 2009
Other Editions of This Title: Google eBook
Categories: Minority Studies - General, Social Classes, Ethnic Studies - General
 |     |
Description
A prediction that made headlines across the United States ten years ago is fast becoming reality: By 2050, whites will no longer be the American majority. A related, less-reported trend is that as immigrant populations--largely people of color--increase in cities and suburbs, more and more whites are moving to small cities and exurban areas that are predominantly, even extremely, white. Journalist Rich Benjamin calls these enclaves "Whitopias." To learn what makes them tick and why and how they are growing, Benjamin--a black American--packed his bags and lived for several months in three such communities: Forsyth County, Georgia; Coeur d'Alene, Idaho; and St. George, Utah. He became familiar with the landscapes and social structures; he got to know and sometimes grew fond of the residents; and through his reporting, he reveals the psychological, political, and cultural implications of this phenomenon. Economics drove previous American migrations--pioneers heading west, blacks moving north, farmers fleeing the Dust Bowl. But what is the cause of this new shift? Whitopia uncovers the real reasons some Americans are happy to leave the rest of us behind.
Tuesday, Oct 6, 2009
In his book, Searching For Whitopia, Rich Benjamin lists every city in the U.S. that is "whiter than the nation, its respective region, and its state." He explains why "whitopias" are growing, and what it means for the U.S. More at NPR.org
NPR Audio Player Requires Flash Upgrade: Please upgrade your plug-in to view this content.
 |
1Q84 Haruki Murakami Knopf |
 |
The Marriage Plot Jeffrey Eugenides Farrar, Straus, and Giroux |
 |
The Sense of an Ending Julian Barnes Knopf |
 |
Death Comes to Pemberley PD James Knopf |
