Hollowing Out the Middle: The Rural Brain Drain and What It Means for America [Hardcover]

Patrick J. Carr (Author), Maria J. Kefalas (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2009

In 2001, with funding from the MacArthur Foundation, sociologists Patrick J. Carr and Maria J. Kefalas moved to Iowa to understand the rural brain drain and the exodus of young people from America’s countryside. They met and followed working-class “stayers”; ambitious and college-bound “achievers”; “seekers,” who head off to war to see what the world beyond offers; and “returners,” who eventually circle back to their hometowns. What surprised them most was that adults in the community were playing a pivotal part in the town’s decline by pushing the best and brightest young people to leave.

In a timely, new afterword, Carr and Kefalas address the question “so what can be done to save our communities?” They profile the efforts of dedicated community leaders actively resisting the hollowing out of Middle America. These individuals have creatively engaged small town youth—stayers and returners, seekers and achievers—and have implemented a variety of programs to combat the rural brain drain.  These stories of civic engagement will certainly inspire and encourage readers struggling to defend their communities.


From the Trade Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Written in an easily accessible style for the lay reader, this volume is filled with their observations of life in a rural community that is just “hanging on,” and stories from the young adults they met.”—Journal of Rural Social Sciences 

“An intriguing new book . . . [They] argue that it will take more than just free land initiatives to reverse rural America’s brain drain.”—Christina Gillham, Newsweek
 
“A fascinating study that brilliantly describes and analyzes the problems of rural towns in America that are emptying out.”—William Julius Wilson, Lewis P. and Linda L. Geyser University Professor, Harvard University
 
“The authors present a brave and daunting examination of why the most talented, the most productive young people leave our small towns. . . . This book is so generative, so fiercely compelling . . . I urge you to read it.”—Mildred Armstrong Kalish, author of Little Heathens: Hard Times and High Spirits on an Iowa Farm During the Great Depression

“The undoing of Middle America is the great secret tragedy of our times. For shining a bright, unwavering light on the unfolding disaster, Carr and Kefalas deserve enormous credit.” —Thomas Frank, author of What’s the Matter with Kansas?

“Deft and detailed case studies bring the population to life. . . . The authors alert readers to this major change with clarity and compassion.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review
 
“A worthy contribution to a conversation we desperately need to have.”—Bill Kauffman, Wall Street Journal
 
“Deftly researched and written, this book is highly recommended for sociologists, educators, policymakers, and anyone concerned about the future of this country.”—Library Journal, starred review


From the Trade Paperback edition.

About the Author

Patrick J. Carr is associate professor of sociology at Rutgers University-New Brunswick and the author of Clean Streets. Maria J. Kefalas is a professor of sociology at Saint Joseph’s University, the author of Working-Class Heroes, and coauthor of Promises I Can Keep. The authors live outside Philadelphia. 


From the Trade Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Beacon Press (October 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807042382
• ISBN-13: 978-0807042380
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #621,418 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hollowing Out the Middle Rings True, November 16, 2009

By 

OlingerStories - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hollowing Out the Middle: The Rural Brain Drain and What It Means for America (Hardcover)

Carr and Kefalas's HOLLOWING OUT THE MIDDLE:THE RURAL BRAIN DRAIN AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR AMERICA is a scientific, yet heart-felt look at the demise of small town rural America. Setting up in a renamed Iowa town, the authors ask why the best and the brightest often leave their heartland roots behind and then ask what can be done to reverse the trend. They divide rural young people up into four main categories:

1) The Achievers--those who are not only personally driven to succeed, but praised throughout their communities for their talent and achievements. They earn awards, go off to college, and never return because they have over-qualified themselves to return home.

2) The Stayers--those who want to make a go of it in the only place they have ever called home. They love their families, the community, and the opportunity to raise their kids in the homeland, despite the fact that employment opportunities are limited and the chance to earn high wages low.

3) The Seekers--As Carr and Kefalas put it, "What the Seekers know, with the utmost certainty is that they do not want to stay in the countryside all of their lives."

4) The Returners--Whether an Achiever or a Seeker, the Returners decide in time that there is no place like home, even if that means a lower standard of living or the abandonment of a dream.

As one who left a small town, the descriptions and motivations of each group are spot on. I felt as if I was re-living my own upbringing and decisions. In that regard, the book is gripping. The book's weakness rests in the solutions that Carr and Kefalas propose. They recommend immigration and the broadening of the population base, which have the feel of abstract and sociological solutions out of a textbook. Their attempt to help is honest, but the truth is that no one has the solution.

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wake Up, River City...You've Got Trouble, October 19, 2009

By 

Peter Baklava (Charles City, Iowa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hollowing Out the Middle: The Rural Brain Drain and What It Means for America (Hardcover)

It's the irony of all ironies that the Midwestern United States is referred to as "the Heartland", because in some parts of the region, you'd be hard-pressed to find a pulse.

Due to rapidly aging populations, and the steady outflux of the university-educated young, small towns now confront a stark and unprecedented threat to their existence. Economies are faltering, tax bases rapidly eroding, and populations already underserved are finding it nearly impossible to attract health-care professionals, particularly specialists and psychiatrists. "Hollowing out the Middle" breaks little new ground in acknowledging an age-old problem, which has only intensified since the 1980's "farm crisis"....but it does provide a simple analysis of the trends working against Middle America, and the way that the small town movers and shakers have only succeeded in aiding and abetting the demise of their communities in many instances. As a long-overdue "kick in the pants", it is hoped that this book could stimulate quick and pragmatic adjustments to timid strategies that have taken hold of Main Street, America.

One such strategy that Carr and Kefalas identify is the "creative class" prescription offered by popular author Richard Florida. Briefly stated, this is the belief that "if you build it, they (the talented young) will come", lured by state of the art libraries, swimming pools, and sculpture parks. "Not so fast", Carr and Kefalas caution...can even spanking new facilities compete with the natural wonders of the mountains, lakes and oceans that other regions offer? And what of the simple fact that professionals can earn more money in the big cities?

Instead of locking into strategies that ultimately may fail, Carr and Kefalas recommend that small towns develop strategies to enable the young people who are "left behind"... the children of the working class, who are seemingly "trapped" in the towns that their more fortunate peers abandon.

The authors also recognize that small towns are fertile grounds for xenophobia, as promulgated by the likes of Iowa Congressman Steve King, and former Colorado politician Tom Tancredo. Small towns must overcome their tendencies to be "isolated islands", and welcome all newcomers including immigrants. High-tech jobs should be pursued, along with much-needed diversification in agricultural enterprises.

"Hollowing Out the Middle", at a mere 170 pages, only touches the tip of the iceberg... but it is a beginning. The alternatives, including a proposal for the "Buffalo Commons" (a strategy which seems to advocate giving the western plains back to the Indians) are not very pretty. A Balkanized, disjointed America of the haves and the "left-outs" is in the future unless actions are taken quickly.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating and highly recommended read, December 15, 2009

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hollowing Out the Middle: The Rural Brain Drain and What It Means for America (Hardcover)

What can attract an intellectual to rural society? "Hollowing Out the Middle: The Rural Brain Drain and What It Means for America" is a discussion of the exodus of thinkers from middle America and the heartland. The authors, Patrick Carr and Maria Kefalas, moved to a small town to study the social aspects of working class people who stay in their home towns and try to make ends meet for the good of themselves and their town. These towns, they argue, are hurt most when their brightest young people leave upon reaching adulthood. An interesting discussion of the fate of small town America and what could truly be the cause, "Hollowing Out the Middle" is a fascinating and highly recommended read.