{"product_id":"the-stranger-next-door-arlene-stein-9780807007181","title":"The Stranger Next Door: The Story of a Small Community's Battle Over Sex, Faith, and Civil Rights; Or, How the Right Divides Us","description":"\u003cb\u003eWinner of the Ruth Benedict Prize\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe story of a small town's fight over LGBTQ+ rights that reveals how the far right weaponizes social issues to declare whose lives are valuable--and whose are expendable\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eA new preface bridges the past and the present in Arlene Stein's award-winning work of narrative sociology, \u003ci\u003eThe Stranger Next Door\u003c\/i\u003e, contextualizing the so-called \"culture wars\" as they have evolved since the post-Reagan years. With deep on-the-ground research and vivid storytelling, Stein explores how the right mobilizes fear and uncertainty to shift blame onto \"strangers\" and how these symbolic struggles undermine democracy. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFaced with globalization and automation, the working-class citizens of the Pacific Northwest's \"Timbertown\" felt left behind, fearing job loss and the hollowing out of their small town. Religious conservatives convinced many local citizens that queer people were to blame. A bitter battle to deny the civil liberties of sexual minorities ensued. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThough set in the 1990s, \u003ci\u003eThe Stranger Next Door\u003c\/i\u003e is a story that echoes loudly today. Stein looks at how local conflicts over LGTBQ+ rights and other social issues paved the way for the contemporary right-wing populist resurgence. \u003ci\u003eThe Stranger Next Door\u003c\/i\u003e positions today's battles over transgender rights and critical race theory in a long-running struggle to define America, offering a razor-sharp examination of how the right manufactures local culture wars to divide and conquer.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Arlene Stein\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0807007188\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780807007181\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Beacon Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 12\/27\/2022\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 304\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.95lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.60h x 6.20w x 1.30d","brand":"Arlene Stein","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":44070842204415,"sku":"9780807007181","price":18.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_0cb33e12-d8b1-4a61-99f1-aa5abeb2d43e.jpg?v=1685432649","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-stranger-next-door-arlene-stein-9780807007181","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}