Customer Reviews

Searching for Whitopia: An Improbable Journey to the Heart of White America

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

You might expect a book called Searching for Whitopia to (1) clearly define "Whitopia," (2) take a handful of Whitopias, (a) show how they came to be Whitopias, (b) explain how they remain Whitopias, and (3) explore the consequences of Whitopianism.

The introduction does provide a definition of "Whitopia," but it's basically useless. ("A Whitopia (pronounced why+ toh + pee + uh) is whiter than the nation, its respective region, and its state. It has posted at least 6 percent population growth since 2000. The majority of that growth (often upward of 90 percent) is from white migrants. And a Whitopia has a je ne sais quoi--an ineffable social charisma, a pleasant look and feel.")

Chapter 1 is mostly about the author's stay in the Whitopia of St. George, Utah, during which he dupes a Realtor into showing him houses when he has absolutely no intention of buying one--houses he critiques ad nauseam--and plays a lot of poker. While the chapter contains some fairly interesting quotes from residents regarding so-called illegal immigration, there's no real rhyme or reason to how the author's recollections unfold, and it remains unclear whether the people he interviewed are representative of the community. Also, the author never gives his interviewees the least pushback, even when they say incredibly racist or ignorant things. Despite their virulence, the soliloquies are not nearly as involving as conversations might have been.

Chapter 2, "The Latino Time Bomb," is a meandering collection of anti- and pro-immigrant statements and statistics. The stuff about Numbers USA, an anti-immigration lobbying group, is somewhat intriguing, but ultimately pointless: You never get a clear understanding of what, if anything, Numbers USA has to do with Whitopianism.

Chapter 3 is about playing golf in various Whitopias. That's it. Literally.

Chapter 4 is the first that at least hints at the history of how a locale became a Whitopia. The Aryan Nations established their headquarters in the Idaho panhandle during the 1970s; around the same time, many white retired LAPD officers began settling in the area. Thousands of white Californian émigrés joined them, especially circa the time of the riots following the verdict in the Rodney King brutality case. If you find that an incomplete explanation, join the club. (Chapter 4 goes on to show how nice white separatists--as opposed, supposedly, to white supremacists--are, if you just get to know them, even though they believe that they, and not Jews, are the real Israelites, and are hell-bent against miscegenation. I'll give the author credit for being brave enough to attend a Christian Identity gathering, however.)

Chapter 5 deals with the Carnegie Hill neighborhood of Manhattan. Evidently, the place has been the exclusive stomping grounds of rich whites pretty much since the get-go. Co-op boards apparently help preserve the Hill's racial homogeneity, using various methods to get around antidiscrimination regulations. After explaining that, for some obscure reason, the author details--at great length--an afternoon spent interviewing a couple of townhouse occupants whom he admits are atypical and who have nothing relevant or worthwhile to say. There's also some more aimless house-hunting.

Finally, in Chapter 6, which starts on page 184, the author shows how the federal government, private banks, and real-estate agents colluded, over the middle decades of the 20th century, to prevent black people and other minorities from buying into all-white neighborhoods, and how municipalities, with the Supreme Court's blessing, have since safeguarded the racial purity of those neighborhoods through, inter alia, zoning. This basic information, however, should have been given to the reader toward the beginning of the book, not more than halfway through. Chapter 6 also includes a cogent discussion of structural racism, as opposed to personal and institutional racism.

Chapter 7 talks about Whitopian Forsyth County, Georgia. Of course, you don't learn that, in 1912, mobs of armed whites forced the entire black population of the county to leave until 40 freaking pages into the chapter. This racial cleansing is how the place got to be lily-white in the first place--shouldn't it have been recounted at the beginning of the chapter? Especially when most of the first twoscore pages are at most tangentially related to the topic of Whitopianism (they largely concentrate on a pair of competing real-estate moguls' visions for the development of high-end subdivisions).

Warning: Chapter 7 also contains an utterly pointless, long-winded, and just plain bizarre report on an evening the author spent participating (wholeheartedly) in a role-playing game called "Murder Mystery" with a bunch of well-off self-professed "Christian" teenagers. He calls these brats "[h]onorable and reliable," but says that, "[p]olitically speaking, they frighten me silly"--with no explication on either count. I guess he felt that 55 pages was enough for this chapter.

Chapter 8 is about waiting in a West Wing reception area to hear talking points about exurbia from George W. Bush's right-hand man; conservative dog-whistle racism; and how Whitopias overwhelmingly vote Republican. Apparently, there's also something called "the Marshmallow Center," which, as far as I can gather, is the author's term for a variation on the Southern Strategy wherein politicians of all stripes talk about colorblindness rather than states' rights or welfare reform.

In Chapter 9, you learn that the author went to the Maryland high school that Beverly Hills, 90210 was based on, that he was mugged one summer night in Brooklyn in 2005, and that altogether far too many black youths are on the same self- and other-destructive path that his assailants were on. Admittedly, the story of the mugging and its aftermath is well told, and the prospects for young black Americans are indeed bleak, but neither is well-integrated into the book.

But desultoriness and disorganization aren't the worst things about Searching for Whitopia. The sentences are. These are examples from just one random 20-page stretch:

Page 101: "His brawny hands, the color of cowhide, bear a rash of freckles." Cowhide is the color of the cow it came from, and thus can be any of a variety of colors or color combinations.

Page 103: "Middle-aged to old white men . . . compare notes about their imminent golf adventures, so this fifty-minute connector flight feels like The Caddyshack Shuttle." Is that supposed to be a joke?

Page 104: "Before I ever lay eyes on the Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, class--the pecking order of privilege--uncloaks itself." Did you really need to attempt to define class?

Page 110: "His manner exudes the rowdy manliness of his welding trade, his face the spell of a seraphim." Where to begin? I would think that rowdiness in the welding trade would be counterproductive at best. Also, "seraphim" is plural, and I don't think that the fiery six-winged angels who guard God's throne cast spells on welders.

Page 114: "I decided against attending [Coeur d'Alene, Idaho's 2000 July 4th parade], being in no mood for racial drama on a holiday." So only on nonholidays are you in the mood for racial drama? Or you don't want racial drama on a holiday, unless you're in the mood for it? What is "racial drama," anyway?

Page 117: "The Orange County of Rankin's youth now has the largest population of Vietnamese outside Ho Chi Minh City." Really? Because Vietnam excluding Ho Chi Minh City has a population of about 82 million. Are there more than 82 million Vietnamese in Orange County, California?

And here's the kicker, from page 236: "I love the English language, so I am quite alarmed to discover a superfluous 'e' tacked onto the burgeoning subdivisions of Forsyth." Wow.

Oh, I forgot about the conclusion. That section starts out with very brief sketches of how Whitopias might hurt themselves and other communities. Then it cites--and accepts--proof that residential diversity breeds social isolation and distrust, among other negatives. Then it says that we should pursue residential diversity anyway, because black soldiers and white soldiers don't frag each other in the Army anymore, and because interreligious friction isn't as bad today as it was when the author was growing up under an Episcopalian father and Catholic mother.

Obviously, Searching for Whitopia could have been a much better book. Chapter 6, though, is essential reading, as is the discussion in Chapter 7 of the Forsyth racial cleansing. There are tidbits of value scattered throughout the rest of the book as well. I wish I could recommend it more enthusiastically.

Rich Benjamin goes to a number of Whitopias (the concept is defined, demographically, in appendices) and actually lives in three of them. He approaches his subject without apparent bias aforethought, and with excellent research eyes.

In his research he distinguished between different types of Whitopias, whether the reasons for their development are more conscious or unconscious. Beyond that, he extensively interviews individual residents, to give the different Whitopias an individualized profile.

He also notes that natives don't always "cotton to" outside whites.

He provides a few statistics that I didn't know, as part of the possibility America may be "majority nonwhite" by 2050. For the whites fleeing blacks and Hispanics for purely racial, or racial-economic reasons, and at the same time, often fleeing Asians because "their kids study too hard for our kids," he has "bad" news I didn't know... the Asian population is growing faster than even the Hispanic population.

Beyond that, he asks what do whitopias, more exurban ones like Forsyth County, Ga., than freestanding St. George, Utah or the Idaho Panhandle, mean for the future of American infrastructure, whith highways, sewer, zoning tussles and more. And, what do all whitopias mean in terms of future American cohesiveness?

Without offering undue condemnation, Benjamin offers condemnation where it is due for these exurbs being used as a shield to avoid discussing race, and worries that broader social integration may have peaked in much of the country, at least for now.

If you want a very insightful -- and very well-written -- take on modern demographics, this is it!

When he walked in and sat down at my book event at Hastings in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, Rich Benjamin stood out. It was late July, 2007. My first inclination was to wonder why a high school kid would be showing up at a book event on a hot Saturday afternoon in the middle of the short North Idaho summer.

Oh yeah, I also noticed he was black. One notices such things in North Idaho where, looking back on my 33-year high school teaching career, I'd need only one hand to count the number of blacks who ever sat in my English/journalism classes.

Rich and I exchanged pleasant smiles. I moved on with my presentation about my latest book. He listened intently, thankfully laughing at the appropriate times as I read my humorous story about some prankish but friendly former students who invaded my house (while we were supposedly sleeping) left post-it notes on the television and wrapped toilet paper decorations around our porch.

When my presentation ended, Rich stuck around and brought a book through the line for me to autograph. Some close friends had attended, so we all enjoyed a few minutes of conversation. When he introduced himself to the group, I immediately recognized his name from a telephone conversation I'd had with him a couple of weeks earlier.

The voice on the phone hadn't exactly matched this youthful-looking person in front of me, whom I'd quickly assumed had to be a high school kid, dutifully completing an assignment for a summer-school class. In our earlier phone conversation, however, I had learned that Rich Benjamin was, indeed, fully engaged in an assignment---but not for high school or even college. He'd already graduated from college and had earned his doctorate.

Rich was writing a book. He had a publisher and hoped to publish within the next year or two. He had told me in the phone conversation of his plans to visit three areas in the United States where the "boom town" phenomenon of urban dwellers fleeing to rural areas was occurring at the time.

He'd gone to great lengths to connect with locals in each area---locals in power, locals with historical knowledge, locals with a cause, everyday locals and, most importantly, locals who could call themselves "locals" after recently moving from somewhere else. I found his general premise fascinating, especially because of my own strong opinions---both good and bad---about the influx of outsiders to the beautiful area in North Idaho where I'd lived since the day I was born.

It was easy to connect with Rich because of his manners, warmth, sincerity, ability to carry on a down-to-earth conversation and especially because of the thought-provoking story which had brought with him to our area.

A few weeks later, we spent most of a day together, visiting the Bonner County Fair, with no set agenda, except to take it all in. Rich met and visited with 4-H'ers, members of the Antique Tractor Club, politicians and general fair-goers. Later, he spent time at our farm with my husband and me and even treated us to dinner at a local restaurant. He went on his way but kept in touch, occasionally sending updates on the progress of his book.

I now own a copy. I like this book by Rich Benjamin because I found it entertaining, enlightening and challenging. I know there are several sections I'll need to read a second time because of the demographic data included. Still, other segments will be forever etched in my mind because of our (the readers) opportunity to travel along with Rich as anecdotes filled with human interest, local color, humor, and imagery unfold.

I also like this book because it is not overloaded with emotion-charged judgments. Instead, Rich allows readers to draw their own conclusions, based on his well-balanced tapestry of characters representing different walks of life, socio-economic conditions, beliefs and clearly stated motivations for why they do what they do and think what they think.

Like he did so many times in setting up situations to obtain his material, Rich, ever the gracious host, offers readers from across the spectrum ample food for thought---a virtual smorgasboard of situations to ponder as this country moves forward, continuing to deal with racial, ethnic and general socioeconomic issues.

I believe this book offers a palatable but provocative conversation starter. People can read and enjoy "Searching for Whitopia." Then, while discussing Rich's discoveries and observations during his travels, perhaps they can arrive at their own destination of experiencing a better appreciation of each other and a clearer understanding of the obstacles which often hinder the ever-evolving quest to get along.

Oh yeah, remember how I thought Rich Benjamin was a high school student doing a summer-school assignment when he came to hear this retired teacher talk about her classroom experiences?

Well, as noted, I was quickly enlightened that day as to his true motivation. He has since completed his assignment. If I were his teacher, I'd give him an A.

I'd also recommend that other educators in high schools and colleges across the country consider adding "Searching for Whitopia" to their assigned reading projects.

I really enjoyed this book. I felt that Benjamin handled his interactions with residents of the Whitopian locations he spent a fair amount of time in, very well. Through ethnographic research and open-minded analysis, he attempts to paint white people who live in Whitopias as complex people who are not necessarily overtly racist. Benjamin, a Black American, felt rather welcomed in all of the Whitopian towns that he lived in for his 2 years of field research to write the book.

I was first excited to learn about the book because I was curious how a Black identified American would navigate pre-dominantly white class privileged (mostly conservative) towns, and remain good spirited-- especially being part of events in which people had affiliations to Aryan Nation... or meeting with a white guy who half-jokingly tells him that when he is alone with his white friends, they refer to Black people using the n-word.

Benjamin provides a lot of citations from the statistics and other types of data he uses to analyze Whitopian resident's responses to his inquiries about immigration, race relations, politics, and beyond.

He also speaks of how he is sick of the binary of "black-white" America, and that America is too diverse for the mainstream to keep on falling back on the old school way of looking at race relations, which paints the picture that it's an easy binary of black/white. He brings in class, age, geography, and the fact that Latinos, Asians, and people who are multi-ethnic destroy the old race relations model of "black-white" America.

All and all, I enjoyed reading the book. He is a good writer and deals with the subject of the "Obama" era of race and immigration in a very engaging and not so judgmental way.

My hometown is a would-be Whitopia, now in full-on panic about "them," those...those...people of color, who would change a "way of life" which escaped notice until it was perceived as threatened. I've always been curious how someone who's racially a "them" fares when he visits such a place. I couldn't ask for a better account than Benjamin's.

His prose is brisk and engaging. I expect he did indeed make friends as an improbable tourist in Idaho and Utah. The book is full of amusing discussion of aspects of Whitopian culture, such as Mormon Dixie coiffures and the "viral e" afflicting Georgia subdivision names. Benjamin is unafraid to call out the race anxiety sustaining Whitopia; the tone of the book's last third turns noticeably darker, when he examines Whitopia's origins in openly racial violence and segregation.

"Searching for Whitopia" by Rich Benjamin is a about the overall increase in "white flight" in America. "White flight," as the book describes, is the modern movement involving white Americans fleeing diverse urban cities for less populated and less diverse cities. The author makes his point clear by describing his experiences as a resident of three of the nations whitest cities and counties -- St. George, Utah, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, and lastly, Forsyth County, Georgia. He makes a few interesting arguments for the basis of "white flight" based on both statistical and anecdotal evidence from locals of whom he came into contact.

This book is a bit on the pricey side, but it's definitely an interesting read. I found myself googling some of the references in the book to better understand some of the points made. Lastly, I would like to compliment Mr. Benjamin on his writing style. Rarely do you find a book so well written.

It didn't take long for author Rich Benjamin to find the whitopia he was searching for...it's more prevalent than we might think and growing, apparently, by leaps and bounds. What were once known as subdivisions are now classified as gated "communities" (think pre-owned autos) and you get the gist of what Benjamin will tell the reader. He does so with a great deal of insight and humor.

On the face of it, "Searching for Whitopia" is a record of Rich Benjamin's time spent in St. George, Utah, Coeur d'Alene/Sandpoint, Idaho and Forsyth County, Georgia. He's quick to point out that individuals in these communities are often by themselves warm and welcoming. He attends and throws dinner parties, he goes to services at a megachurch and he takes golf lessons (does he ever love golf!) His reports give a flavor of these places and Benjamin rightly points out that whites don't necessarily move here because they are "white", but the associated culture makes any discussion of race almost moot by their internal white comfort zone.

Benjamin's own racial mix adds some perspective to the book and while the places mentioned above take the bulk of the story, his description of an upper east side Manhattan area called Carnegie Hill held my attention the most...perhaps because I live in a gentrified wealthy enclave an hour away. The author can be downright funny, especially when he talks about the superfluous "e" found in many establishment names in Forsyth County....i.e., Ivey Oakes and Preston Pointe.

America's changing face will undoubtedly spawn more books like "Searching for Whitopia". Rich Benjamin has given us his take on a specialized movement...white flight... and it's an excellent look. I highly recommend "Searching for Whitopia" for its examination of this social redirection.

Decent book, the author gets pretty long winding and goes on and on about his stories many times which made the star come off. It does a good job illustrating separational issues between some wealthy or just plain racist white groups from the rest of the created races which is disappointing to still see going on it kids and adults.

Searching for Whitopia by Rich Benjamin is not about the interactions between blacks and whites. It is about the phenomenon of white flight. White Flight occurs when white people move out of a neighborhood because people of color are moving in. What Rich Benjamin did was move into predominately white neighborhoods (97% white) to see what it's like.

I felt that Searching for Whitopia was very thought-provoking. I actually had to have a conversation with my boyfriend about it since I no longer have traditional college classes to fill that void. We spoke of race and our perceptions, since we were both raised in Whitopias. I know, I know, who cares I had a convo with my lover, big deal. Well, normally Tony and I normally talk about our roommate (he's a pain in the ass), our days at work, and the Simpsons, not serious things. For a book to inspire conversation between my boyfriend and I about social justice is pretty big.

I found the people Rich met to be fairly interesting. He met some fairly diverse people, rich people, poor people, Democrats, Republicans. Skin color is not the only means of diversity. I liked his anecdotes about the people he came across.

Searching For Whitopia wasn't too politcizing. I won't state my political leanings, but it was nice to see some kindness portrayed on both sides of the two main political parties.

I thought Rich Benjamin's conclusions definitely made sense. Life is enriched after living near and interacting with people of different backgrounds. Those of you who have been to college should know exactly what I am talking about, when you share a dorm with people from all over the world, it absolutely broadens your horizons and I think you become a better person for it. I think he is correct in concluding that white flight truly is bad for the communities, as that takes much needed tax dollars out of a community, plus certain opportunities to learn are missed out on.

I would say read this book if you are interested in social justice issues.

If you are a fan of interesting nonfiction, regardless of the subject matter, you'll enjoy this book. If you are interested in real estate or the expansion of metro areas beyond even the typical suburb, or race migration, then you'll definitely like it.

When I read the premise of the book -- the investigation of these "exurbs" that are whiter than the state and country as a whole, cities meant to be throwbacks to the 1950's with all the amenities of a typical suburb -- I was somewhat interested, but was I interested enough to read a whole book about it? The answer is yes, not only did I read a whole book about it, but I really enjoyed reading a whole book about it.

Rich Benjamin, an African-American man, says at the beginning of the book that he's not writing this to judge it as right or wrong: "This journey is about our nations' future, not about how white and black people are getting along" (page 12).

And he was true to that.

Benjamin went and lived in several of these Whitopias for weeks at a time -- joining the community, making friends, investigating the real estate market. He was true to his aim and reported objectively, whether writing about retirees who enjoyed golf or people who described themselves as separtists.

Benjamin describes the people he met with affection, and as he writes about them, they come to live. These vignettes are completely in keeping with the purpose of the book, telling us who lives in these Whitopias and why -- but also keeps the book interesting, injecting human interest with the facts and figures that he also supplies.

Highly recommended.