The View from Flyover Country

The View from Flyover Country is a collection of essays examining economic inequality, labor exploitation, and political corruption in post-recession America. The essays focus on the struggles of citizens in the American Midwest and other areas often overlooked by coastal media outlets. Through research and reporting, Kendzior documents the reality of life for those facing student debt, stagnant wages, and diminishing career prospects despite advanced degrees and professional experience. She analyzes how digital media, academia, and various industries perpetuate systems of exploitation while claiming to offer opportunity. The essays track patterns of economic decline and social transformation across American cities, with particular attention to St. Louis and other Midwestern metropolitan areas. Kendzior draws connections between local observations and broader national trends in politics, media, and class dynamics. This work challenges prevailing narratives about American mobility and success, revealing deep structural barriers that persist across geographic and demographic lines. The collection serves as both cultural criticism and a documentary record of American economic life in the early 21st century.

Readers praise Kendzior's prescient analysis of economic inequality, authoritarianism, and political corruption in middle America. Many note her accurate predictions about Trump's rise and the increasing instability of American democracy. Reviews highlight her background as an academic researcher and her direct, evidence-based writing style. Common praise: - Clear explanations of complex socioeconomic issues - Focus on overlooked Midwest perspectives - Strong journalistic research - Accessible writing for non-academic readers Common criticisms: - Collection feels disjointed due to being compiled from separate articles - Some essays feel dated or repetitive - Too much focus on personal experiences - Lack of proposed solutions Ratings: Goodreads: 4.28/5 (11,000+ ratings) Amazon: 4.7/5 (900+ ratings) Several readers noted the book helped them understand family members' political views. One reviewer wrote: "She saw what was happening in the Midwest while coastal media missed it entirely." Critics said the book "reads like a series of blog posts" and "offers more problems than answers."

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📚 Sarah Kendzior wrote this book based on her collection of essays originally published in Al Jazeera between 2012-2014 🎓 The author completed her PhD in anthropology at Washington University in St. Louis, with her research focusing on authoritarian states in Central Asia 📍 The term "flyover country" refers to the middle regions of America that coastal elites typically fly over, particularly the Midwest where Kendzior lives and writes from 📈 The book became a New York Times bestseller in 2018, despite initially being self-published in 2015 after traditional publishers showed little interest 🗣️ Many of Kendzior's observations about economic inequality and political instability, written years before the 2016 election, proved to be prescient predictors of American social changes