Strangers in Their Own Land

Anger and Mourning on the American Right

Ranked #13 in 2018, Ranked #20 in Conservatismsee more rankings.

In Strangers in Their Own Land, the renowned sociologist Arlie Russell Hochschild embarks on a thought-provoking journey from her liberal hometown of Berkeley, California, deep into Louisiana bayou country – a stronghold of the conservative right. As she gets to know people who strongly oppose many of the ideas she famously champions, Russell Hochschild nevertheless finds common ground and quickly warms to the people she meets – among them a Tea Party activist whose town has been swallowed by a sinkhole caused by a drilling accident – people whose concerns are actually ones that all... more

Reviews and Recommendations

We've comprehensively compiled reviews of Strangers in Their Own Land from the world's leading experts.

Tony Schwartz Arlie Hochschild is a brilliant writer and a sociologist of great empathy and insight. Although the book was written before Trump was elected president, it goes a long way toward explaining him, and more specifically toward explaining why people embraced him. (Source)

Clara Jeffery @jwpetersNYT Anywho, Arlie spent 5 years embedded in Tea Party culture. Her book was an NYT best-seller and a National Book Award finalist. And she was hardly the only one that did deep reporting on the Tea Party before and after the 2016 election. (Source)

Kate Marvel Hochschild argues that all social groups have a ‘deep story’: a narrative that makes the complicated world make sense. (Source)


Rankings by Category

Strangers in Their Own Land is ranked in the following categories:


Similar Books

If you like Strangers in Their Own Land, check out these similar top-rated books:


Learn: What makes Shortform summaries the best in the world?