Abandoned in the Heartland : Work, Family, and Living in East St. Louis / Jennifer Hamer.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hamer, Jennifer, Author.

Series:

George Gund Foundation imprint in African American studies.

The George Gund Foundation imprint in African American studies

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Working class--East Saint Louis--Illinois.

Working class.

African Americans--Illinois--East Saint Louis.

African Americans.

East Saint Louis (Ill.)--Social conditions--21st century.

East Saint Louis (Ill.).

East Saint Louis (Ill.)--Economic conditions--21st century.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xv, 244 pages) : illustrations

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Berkeley, CA : University of California Press, [2011]

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Urban poverty, along with all of its poignant manifestations, is moving from city centers to working-class and industrial suburbs in contemporary America. Nowhere is this more evident than in East St. Louis, Illinois. Once a thriving manufacturing and transportation center, East St. Louis is now known for its unemployment, crime, and collapsing infrastructure. Abandoned in the Heartland takes us into the lives of East St. Louis's predominantly African American residents to find out what has happened since industry abandoned the city, and jobs, quality schools, and city services disappeared, leaving people isolated and imperiled. Jennifer Hamer introduces men who search for meaning and opportunity in dead-end jobs, women who often take on caretaking responsibilities until well into old age, and parents who have the impossible task of protecting their children in this dangerous, and literally toxic, environment. Illustrated with historical and contemporary photographs showing how the city has changed over time, this book, full of stories of courage and fortitude, offers a powerful vision of the transformed circumstances of life in one American suburb.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

illustrations

Acknowledgments

Prologue

CHAPTER ONE. In America's Heartland

CHAPTER TWO. East St. Louisans and Their Cars

CHAPTER THREE. Work and Meaning in a Jobless Suburb

CHAPTER FOUR. Hustling, Clean and Dirty

CHAPTER FIVE. "Around here, women never get done workin' "

CHAPTER SIX. "Gotta protect my own"

CHAPTER SEVEN. The Cost of Abandonment

Epilogue. Obama and East St. Louis

Notes

Selected Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 24. Apr 2020)

ISBN:

9786613278425

9781283278423

1283278421

9780520950177

0520950178

OCLC:

747409494