{"product_id":"the-liberal-heartland-jon-k-lauck-9780700638642","title":"The Liberal Heartland: A Political History of the Postwar American Midwest","description":"\u003cp\u003eOver the last two decades, the political narrative of the \"liberal coasts\" and the \"conservative heartland\" has become something of a truism, leading many Democrats to write off much of the Midwest as a Republican stronghold. Today's polarized divide between rural and urban voters makes it easy to forget that things have not always been this way. \u003ci\u003eThe Liberal Heartland\u003c\/i\u003e is a powerful reminder that the American Midwest has a progressive legacy that rivals the coasts.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAcross twenty chapters, \u003ci\u003eThe Liberal Heartland\u003c\/i\u003e traces the political history of this region from the post-New Deal period to the rise of the New Right and Donald Trump's right-wing populism. The contributors explore the way liberals and progressives across the Midwest fought for expanding environmental protection, engaged in community activism, developed a queer-labor coalition before Stonewall, struggled for women's rights and representation in the Plains states, opposed the death penalty, and mobilized for Indigenous self-determination, among other topics. In addition to well-known leaders like Harry Truman and George McGovern, the book highlights lesser-known figures, such as Lydia Cady Langer, Mary Jean Collins, Richard Hatcher, Jim Jontz, and Paul Wellstone.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA companion to the 2020 volume, \u003ci\u003eThe Conservative Heartland\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Liberal Heartland\u003c\/i\u003e explores the history of the Midwest from a less-acknowledged perspective, recounting often forgotten stories that demonstrate the importance of the Midwest for New Deal liberalism and various forms of left-wing politics. This is a long-overdue book that represents a fresh look at the American heartland.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Jon K. Lauck\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0700638644\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780700638642\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University Press of Kansas\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 04\/29\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 400\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover","brand":"Jon K. Lauck","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":46420551434495,"sku":"9780700638642","price":49.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_9246a78d-0af2-49e7-8ecb-2d93da0c3c07.jpg?v=1734634962","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-liberal-heartland-jon-k-lauck-9780700638642","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}