Chasing the Red, White, and Blue: A Journey in Tocqueville's Footsteps Through Contemporary America [Hardcover]

David Cohen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 3, 2001

In 1831, Alexis de Tocqueville his journey to America, traveling from New York to the frontier city of Flint, Michigan, down the Ohio River Valley and into Mississippi, then turning east through the Old South and concluding in Washington, D.C. His journey spawned the classic Democracy in America, the book that defined "equality of opportunity" as the wellspring national character.

At the end of the twentieth century, journalist David Cohen made that same journey, with one new destination—the frontier of Silicon Valley in California. Chasing the Red, White, and Blue is his account: a thought-provoking inquiry into the lives of Americans today. Talking with people at every level of society—from Manhattan real estate brokers and Washington lobbyists to supermarket clerks and illegal aliens—Cohen finds equality elusive and the poor increasingly adrift from American society. But he also finds hope alive in the most unexpected of places.

Just as Democracy in America took the measure of our young republic, Chasing the Red, White, and Blue portrays a much-changed America on the cusp of a new millennium: still united by our passion for democracy, yet divided by our prejudices.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Do the observations on American society that Alexis de Tocqueville made during his famous 1831 tour of the country (specifically that the United States was possessed of a unique "equality of opportunity") still hold true? British journalist David Cohen attempts to answer that question by retracing the Frenchman's route.

Cohen's journey takes him from New York City, through the Rust Belt (specifically Flint, Michigan), the greater Ohio valley, the Deep South, and Washington, D.C., with a side trip to Silicon Valley. Mixing interviews, personal observation, and statistical data, he finds that de Tocqueville's trenchant, generally buoyant opinions of the young republic (based in part on misunderstood assumptions) no longer hold true. The gap between rich and poor is rapidly widening; race and religion have become divisive social factors; lobbyists wield disproportionate influence in government; and for an increasing number of citizens the dream of upward mobility has become an "almost willfully stupid denial of reality."

Cohen covers much ground here very rapidly. His statistics come in flurries. His observations, while ardent, tend toward the obvious; his mini-histories are blurry and conflated, and many of his encounters with various citizens, from stockbrokers to migrant workers, perfunctory. It is not that his conclusions, pessimistic for the most part, are invalid, necessarily, but the evidence upon which he builds his case can seem too often too meager to support them. --H. O'Billovitch

From Publishers Weekly

French aristocrat Alexis de Tocqueville's famed 1831 trek and resulting book, Democracy in America, is closely shadowed by South African journalist Cohen's own journey. Both explorers went from the contrasting wealth and poverty of New York, to Detroit, and through the Southern states. Importantly, Cohen adds California's Silicon Valley to his itinerary in order to assess the evolution of Tocqueville's America. The dramatically different backgrounds of these two foreign explorers offer an intriguing starting point. But Cohen sticks uncomfortably close to task, spending much of his time establishing corollaries between Tocqueville's journey and his own. He predicates his assessment of the ongoing fate of America solely on the haves and have-nots, those oft-mentioned neighbors clustered in the narrow valley of socioeconomic determinism. Fixated on this general disparity, Cohen's thesis undertakes an unsettling conflation of cold demographic data and raison d'ˆtre statements from the working poor and the independently wealthy. In Louisville, Ky., he talks with numerous loyal fans of the actual Colonel Sanders, who died in 1980. He meets with the Holiday Inn founder, who began in 1951 and 20 years later was opening a new hotel every three days. He semi-successfully draws from census data and Tocqueville's writings to support his own observations. Despite the author's wit, ambition, admirable prose and obvious empathy for the lower classes, the comparison between Cohen and his predecessor is not sufficiently strong or compelling to provide the defining (and timely) view of Democracy in America.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Picador; 1st edition (November 3, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312261543
• ISBN-13: 978-0312261542
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,095,209 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A treat!, December 5, 2001

By 

"userlhk" (GA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chasing the Red, White, and Blue: A Journey in Tocqueville's Footsteps Through Contemporary America (Hardcover)

This book will open your eyes to the true state of the nation. The author sets off (literally) on a journey through the US to retrace the steps of the 19th century French philosopher, Alex de Tocqueville, who journeyed here in the 1800's. He contrasts the present state of affairs with de Tocqueville's then-observations and forecasts for the future of the nation. Heady stuff! However, you don't need to be a student of economics (which I am not) to enjoy this book. It is easy to read, and the author manages to convey factual information in an almost story-like way (there are some great stories about Manhattan real estate, dotcom millionaires, religious fanatics and relentless gamblers!). I learned a few lessons about some of the religious, economic and political aspects of life in the US -warts and all - and I thoroughly enjoyed the journey.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great read for the holiday season, December 13, 2001

By 

vivienne kramer (Denver, CO United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chasing the Red, White, and Blue: A Journey in Tocqueville's Footsteps Through Contemporary America (Hardcover)

David Cohen's "Chasing the Red White and Blue" gives us both an intimate and an amusing look into the forgotten segment of America's underclass and those for whom they toil, as he retraces De Toqueville's steps through America; seeking to know whether De Toqueville's prophecies about the nature of democracy, American style, have fulfilled their promise of equality and contentment for all. Using De T's diaries instead of his written masterpiece (Democracy in America), is a great idea, as few of us have access to those writings. This is a relevant book for Americans right now, post 9/11, as we search for meaning and priorities in our lives. Cohen invites us into his world and as a reader I often felt as if I was right there with him in his travels. While the poor of America are not necessarily in many minds, we have a responsibility, given the shattering events of 9/11, to try to understand the seeds of discontent, even here on our own doorsteps. This is a thoroughly researched well written book, very professional but easy to read and definitely thought provoking.

4.0 out of 5 stars Engaging and thought-provoking political journalism, December 15, 2004

By 

alexliamw (New Haven, CT) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chasing the Red, White, and Blue: A Journey in Tocqueville's Footsteps Through Contemporary America (Hardcover)

'Chasing The Red White And Blue' is a likeable examination of the American dream in an age of inequality and social conflict. The book is written very much as a piece of journalism rather that social science, so it is not to be treated as a report but a human-centred portrait of modern America. I don't agree that its scope is too broad, because it isn't a comprehensive study; it's almost a personal reflection illustrated by encounters with everyday people. Its conclusions are not all pessimistic, and the author has great sympathy for American ideals, but he does question the inequality and consumerist individualism of modern-day America. Whether you agree with this or not, it is thought provoking and never overly didactic.

It almost strikes me as a blend of socio-political theory and travel writing - it is very much a cross-sectional account and it draws the reader in with humour, emotion and a conversational tone. It is a somewhat personal account in which Cohen draws on his own experiences and perspectives as a half-British, half-South African journalist. It does raise important points, though at times it can be selective, obvious or not engage fully with opposing ideas. This actually isn't a massive problem however, for the type of book that it is. It remains interesting and extremely readable.