I just finished reading the book, Earning The Rockies by Robert Kaplan. In it, he makes a road trip across the US from Maine to California stopping along the way in major metro areas, suburbs, small towns and rural communities. He listens to conversations from people along the way and intermingles these current day stories with a history of the US from the early 1700s to present day.
It was absolutely fascinating.
I’ve lived in some of the areas he described. I’ve worked in some of them. I’ve traveled through others.
Hearing the significant social differences, norms, political concerns, opportunities, interests, values and lifestyles that are dependent on geography was enlightening.
He highlights and explains many of the differences between the cosmopolitan “Coastal elites”, Midwestern families, Deep Southern evangelists, Farmers, Ranchers and Californians.
It helped me better understand how geography and location play a key role in how people think.
Many times throughout the book I thought, “No wonder we don’t understand each other. We’re not thinking about the same things. We live totally different lives as if we’ve come from different worlds.”
I cannot recommend this book highly enough if you are wondering why the US seems bifurcated today.