What's the Matter with Kansas?: How Conservatives Won the Heart of America by Thomas Frank

This book club meeting will be held virtually. I'll send out information on how to connect closer to the event. RSVP now to make sure you are on the list. Talk to you soon! Steve

Hopefully without excessive optimism, I have rescheduled our March book for the April Book Club. I'm also going to schedule the next three books in case anyone has some time to read. ;)

What's the Matter with Kansas?: How Conservatives Won the Heart of America by Thomas Frank

With a New Afterword by the Author

The New York Times bestseller, praised as "hilariously funny . . . the only way to understand why so many Americans have decided to vote against their own economic and political interests" (Molly Ivins)

Hailed as "dazzlingly insightful and wonderfully sardonic" (Chicago Tribune), "very funny and very painful" (San Francisco Chronicle), and "in a different league from most political books" (The New York Observer), What's the Matter with Kansas? unravels the great political mystery of our day: Why do so many Americans vote against their economic and social interests? With his acclaimed wit and acuity, Thomas Frank answers the riddle by examining his home state, Kansas-a place once famous for its radicalism that now ranks among the nation's most eager participants in the culture wars. Charting what he calls the "thirty-year backlash"-the popular revolt against a supposedly liberal establishment-Frank reveals how conservatism, once a marker of class privilege, became the creed of millions of ordinary Americans.

A brilliant analysis-and funny to boot-What's the Matter with Kansas? is a vivid portrait of an upside-down world where blue-collar patriots recite the Pledge while they strangle their life chances; where small farmers cast their votes for a Wall Street order that will eventually push them off their land; and where a group of frat boys, lawyers, and CEOs has managed to convince the country that it speaks on behalf of the People.

Ed will be moderating this month. Hope you can join us for some thoughtful discussion.

Upcoming books are:
May: The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe: How to Know What's Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake by Dr. Steven Novella (William)
June: Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World by Anand Giridharadas (Steve)
July: Why We're Polarized by Ezra Klein (Steve)