Nonfiction

American Made: What Happens to People When Work Disappears

American Made: What Happens to People When Work Disappears

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  • Create Date：2021-10-16 10:21:13
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Farah Stockman
  • ISBN：1984801155
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Reviews

Jacob ，

This book’s concept is not necessarily new: well-educated liberal from northeast goes to rust belt to try and understand why people there live and vote the way they do。 However， there’s more to this book than meets the eye， and I think Stockman did an excellent job telling these three characters’ stories。 First， I should say that I loved the format。 It reminded me of “the warmth of other suns” in that， rather than just stating historical facts， it focused on the stories of three very different， This book’s concept is not necessarily new: well-educated liberal from northeast goes to rust belt to try and understand why people there live and vote the way they do。 However， there’s more to this book than meets the eye， and I think Stockman did an excellent job telling these three characters’ stories。 First， I should say that I loved the format。 It reminded me of “the warmth of other suns” in that， rather than just stating historical facts， it focused on the stories of three very different， complex characters who were laid off from the factory。 I also appreciated the tone。 Despite any preexisting biases she may have had， the book felt like a genuine exploration。 To me， it was less “let’s see why these folks could be fooled into voting for Trump”， and more “let’s try and understand， based on their unique backgrounds and experiences， why these folks see the world in the way that they do”。 Clearly Stockman spent a lot of time building trust with the characters， and I didn’t sense condescension when she talked to or about them。 Another key point from the book is that if you’re only viewing politics through the lens of a ‘left’<—>’right’ spectrum， you’re missing a lot。 Instead， many in places like these view politicians along the spectrum of ‘fights for everyday Americans’<—>’fights for the wealthy elite’。 This is why Sanders and Trump were both popular in the area， despite their apparent differences。 I think Stockman raises a fair point around globalization: even if it makes the country better as a whole， we need to have an honest conversation around who it really benefits。 With the US getting cheaper TVs and cars， it’s easy for lawyers and software engineers to extol the virtues of globalization， but they haven’t had to face diminishing job prospects in the same way that blue-collar Americans have。 The easy response is to dismiss all of these claims as backwards and protectionist， but that is neither empathetic nor a wise political calculation in the long-run。 Even if wealthy elites only have their own interests in mind， I’m not sure how much longer this broken system can continue before enough people bring out the pitchforks。 One last thing this book pointed out to me is that many people get intrinsic value from working， not just because of the paycheck。 Even some financially-stable factory employees who got laid off started slipping into depression afterwards。 This was not because they couldn’t pay the bills， but more because they felt like their life was meaningless and lacked purpose。 This is important to keep in mind when discussing different policy options to address these issues。 If you like this format of books and are curious to learn about the past， present， and future of America’s working class， I definitely recommend reading this。 。。。more

Annette ，

This book will open eyes to what is happening in our country。 I lost a job when it was relocated to Peru so I have a little bit of understanding as to what can happen。 Every American should be reading books like this one。 It certainly won’t allow you to bury your head in the sand。 This book is very well written and easy to read。 Some books like this are so dry or boring you close it up in the first few chapters。 This one kept my attention and I was reading parts to my husband and grown sons。 Ver This book will open eyes to what is happening in our country。 I lost a job when it was relocated to Peru so I have a little bit of understanding as to what can happen。 Every American should be reading books like this one。 It certainly won’t allow you to bury your head in the sand。 This book is very well written and easy to read。 Some books like this are so dry or boring you close it up in the first few chapters。 This one kept my attention and I was reading parts to my husband and grown sons。 Very good book on a very hard subject 。。。more

Jill ，

5 starsAmerican MadeWhat Happens to People When Work DisappearsBy Farah StockmanI had to sit and ponder on this book for a day or so just to process the realities of what I just finished reading。 I am still not sure I can do American Made justice。 Farah Stockman has written an inspiring， infuriating， and educational look at the mess left behind when a plant closes; as well as the limited options blue-collar workers have in the wake of losing their jobs。Wally， Shannon and John desperately search 5 starsAmerican MadeWhat Happens to People When Work DisappearsBy Farah StockmanI had to sit and ponder on this book for a day or so just to process the realities of what I just finished reading。 I am still not sure I can do American Made justice。 Farah Stockman has written an inspiring， infuriating， and educational look at the mess left behind when a plant closes; as well as the limited options blue-collar workers have in the wake of losing their jobs。Wally， Shannon and John desperately search for jobs that will pay as well as Rexnord while struggling to keep their families afloat。 Stockman follows this trio for three years and has utterly managed to capture their personalities， their lives， and their struggles。 American Made needs to be required reading in every economics class taught across the country as this is a book that has the ability to make a reader question their viewpoint on the realities of free trade and the world economy。 I highly recommend this book！I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley。 。。。more

David ，

Well， I have to hand it to Farah Stockman: she really succeeded。 It's like she got up one day and said， “Hey， I think I will attempt to explain my nation to itself by devoting years of my life to writing a non-fiction book as a labor of love。 I'll try to cross the American class divide and challenge all my preconceptions。 I'll take time off my perfectly comfortable and prestigious job in the big city， leave my family and friends， spend hours in airports commuting half-way across the country to i Well， I have to hand it to Farah Stockman: she really succeeded。 It's like she got up one day and said， “Hey， I think I will attempt to explain my nation to itself by devoting years of my life to writing a non-fiction book as a labor of love。 I'll try to cross the American class divide and challenge all my preconceptions。 I'll take time off my perfectly comfortable and prestigious job in the big city， leave my family and friends， spend hours in airports commuting half-way across the country to interview my subjects and research their histories， and spend more hours attending their parties， dinners， family funerals， days at work， court appearances， and so on。 I'll read fat， serious， and angry books about the apparently insoluble problems afflicting my country。 I'll try to integrate the reading and journalism into a seamless whole。 While doing so， I'll criticize myself and expose the hypocrisy and comfortable self-deceptions that members of my own class have told themselves to ease their consciences。 And then， when I'm done and the book is published， people with no other qualification than high self-regard will accuse me （without providing evidence） of looking down on and condescending to the subjects of my book， apparently because， as a Manhattan-residing， Harvard-educated mixed-race child of academics （oh， and also， a woman）， I cannot possibly possess the imagination and empathy to understand the sufferings of others。 As a bonus， they'll also accuse me of being an anti-white racist and a supporter of bogus historical theories！ That'll be fun！” Life is hard these days。 Although a great deal of rigorous research and observant reporting went into this book， it may be difficult to read about the unwarranted and unremedied misery visited on good people by apparently unstoppable forces of history and economics。 If you can， then do it， because the people being left behind by the changes in the world are worth remembering， and even helping。 I got an advance electronic review copy of this book for review from Penguin Random House via Netgalley。 Thanks for the generosity。 。。。more

Rob ，

AMERICAN MADE （2021）By Farah StockmanRandom House， 432 pages。★★★★The subtitle of "American Made，" Farah Stockman’s look at blue-collar work， is "What Happens to People When Work Disappears。" Labor historians speak of “deindustrialization” to describe exporting factory work out of the United States。 Alas， it’s an antiquated label given that far more than factory labor is outsourced。 Capital flight is a more accurate term。 It has long been linked to negative social indicators: drug and alcohol abu AMERICAN MADE （2021）By Farah StockmanRandom House， 432 pages。★★★★The subtitle of "American Made，" Farah Stockman’s look at blue-collar work， is "What Happens to People When Work Disappears。" Labor historians speak of “deindustrialization” to describe exporting factory work out of the United States。 Alas， it’s an antiquated label given that far more than factory labor is outsourced。 Capital flight is a more accurate term。 It has long been linked to negative social indicators: drug and alcohol abuse， domestic violence， divorce， suicide， medical woes， early death， homelessness， psychiatric problems， imprisonment…。 In today’s service industry-driven economy， displaced workers seldom replace income lost to capital flight。 Not many non-white-collar jobs pay $26/hour， the starting wage at Rexnord in Indianapolis， a shaft bearings manufacturer。 Do the math。 At $26/hour， a Rexnord worker made $54，000 per year—without overtime。 If laid-off workers are lucky enough to find another job paying half of that， their annual income is $27，000—25 percent below the nation’s median individual income。 Few who have studied worker displacement will be surprised by the data in Stockman’s book。 Stockman instead puts human faces to capital flight。 Many workers are given voice in "American Made，" but she spotlights three: Wally Hall， an African American who dreams of operating his own barbecue business; Shannon Mulcahy， a white single mother and skilled machinist; and John Feltner， a white family man and union activist。 By focusing on a factory in Indianapolis， Stockman highlights how the American Dream was battered in the American heartland。 Blue-collar work has declined in such places to the point that those who punch time clocks have become out-of-sight/out-of-mind forgotten Americans。 In 1972， sociologists Richard Sennett and Jonathan Cobb published The Hidden Injuries of Class。 It was meant as a warning， but is now an unintended harbinger of what continues to happen to those falling behind in income and social clout。Because professional classes no longer “see” the working class， they are baffled by the 2016 election and the propensity of working-class voters to support politicians whose policies are antithetical to their best interests。 Stockman provides uncomfortable explanations for the rise of Donald Trump: free trade and elitism。 She traces how the Democratic Party shifted from the ideals of New Deal and Great Society to modified Reaganomics coupled with support for the social concerns and stock portfolios of educated bourgeois elites。 In this sense， blue-collar anger toward the Clintons makes sense。 Stockman writes， “The Democrats had gotten into bed with corporations when no one was looking。” Tim， a Rexnord worker， put it more graphically: “The dirty bastards sold us out。 They allowed millions of jobs to leave the country … good jobs with benefits。 They sat on their asses and did absolutely nothing。” Many of those whose jobs fled to Mexico—like Rexnord workers—turned their backs to a party tone deaf to job loss。 Stockman observes， “The Republicans were no better about free trade。 They were worse。 But at least the Republicans had never pretended to be faithful to the working class。” Parse that and you get a vast segment of American workers that indeed feels sold out。 Trump at least acknowledged that blue-collar labor exists， though his vow to stop outsourcing was unfulfilled。 （For the record， 58 percent of American workers are non-salaried。） Thus， many Rexnord workers liked the fact that Trump， “didn’t talk like a college boy。 He cursed。 He bragged。 He threatened…。 Trump was a hillbilly in a suit。 Trump had a chip on his shoulder， like the steelworkers did。” Such perspectives also explain why many wage earners express contradictory admiration for both Trump and Bernie Sanders。A unique twist in "American Made" lies with Stockman’s admission of her class privilege。 This grabs our attention because Stockman identifies as African American。 She has much to say about white privilege， but also incisively compares herself to Shannon。 Stockman grew up in bourgeois comfort， graduated from Harvard， lives in tony Cambridge， Massachusetts， and has worked at the Boston Globe and the New York Times。 Shannon overcame sexual abuse， an abusive husband， raised kids on her own， suffered workplace discrimination， and was ordered to train a Mexican to perform complex tasks on a machine that was about to be disassembled and shipped out of ther country。 Is it any wonder Shannon hasn’t been an avid supporter of NAFTA， middle-class feminism， #MeToo， or Hillary Clinton？ The kicker is that Shannon is not racist。 She did not lash out at the Mexican man about to take her job。 Shannon blames Wall Street for her dilemma， not Mexicans hoping to build a better life。 "American Made" is filled with such insights。 Another eye-opening observation is that people of color often cope better with job loss than whites。 To put it starkly， they have fewer reasons to believe in the American Dream and aren’t shocked when its promise is betrayed。 By contrast， Feltner was staggered when union solidarity disintegrated among workers given a choice between refusing to cooperate with plant relocation or collecting a few more paychecks from a company hell-bent on squeezing greater profits from lower-paid brown workers south of the border。 Stockman is a lucid writer who knows how to personalize capital flight and make stories live。 A review such as mine is by necessity formal and academic in tone。 Stockman also culls labor history and sociological studies， but because she got close to her subjects， she writes from the heart。 Read her words to see what happens to Rexnord workers， especially Wally， Shannon， and John。 Warning: no fairy tales。 Stockman references Sherry Lee Linkon， who compared economic “right-sizing，” restructuring，” and other such euphemisms to what really happens when a plant closes。 It’s akin to a nuclear detonation that leaves misery and destruction in its wake。Robert E。 Weir， Ph。D。 。。。more

Tanya Hansen ，

EXCEPTIONAL！！！！！ Living in rural Illinois， I understand some of what those losing jobs to out of country relocation face。 However， this opened my eyes in a whole new way。 For everyone--whether Democrat， Republican or Independent， for high school students， college students， teachers， those with no degree at all， for white， black， hispanic， or any other race， for men and women。 Take this book to heart， read it with a willingness to see what you have never seen before。 It cannot be stated enough--E EXCEPTIONAL！！！！！ Living in rural Illinois， I understand some of what those losing jobs to out of country relocation face。 However， this opened my eyes in a whole new way。 For everyone--whether Democrat， Republican or Independent， for high school students， college students， teachers， those with no degree at all， for white， black， hispanic， or any other race， for men and women。 Take this book to heart， read it with a willingness to see what you have never seen before。 It cannot be stated enough--EXCEPTIONAL！！！！ 。。。more

Jeff ，

Strong Case Studies Marred By Author's Biases。 Overall， this is a strong case study following three people the author somewhat randomly stumbled into when tasked with reporting on the closure of a particular factory and its implications on the 2016 and 2020 elections。 The author openly admits in the very first chapter that she is a fairly typical New England Liberal Elite， and that flavors much of her commentary and several of her observations - but also provides for at least a few hints of pote Strong Case Studies Marred By Author's Biases。 Overall， this is a strong case study following three people the author somewhat randomly stumbled into when tasked with reporting on the closure of a particular factory and its implications on the 2016 and 2020 elections。 The author openly admits in the very first chapter that she is a fairly typical New England Liberal Elite， and that flavors much of her commentary and several of her observations - but also provides for at least a few hints of potential growth along the way。 But once her own biases are accounted for， this truly is a strong look at a deep dive into the three people she chronicles and their histories and thoughts as they navigate both their personal situations over these few years and the national situations as they see and understand them。 At times funny but far more often tragic， this is a very real look at what at least some go through when their factory job closes around them， to be moved elsewhere。 （Full disclosure， my own father living through this *twice* in my teens in as Goodyear shut down their plants in Cartersville， GA has defined my own story almost as much as a few other situations not relevant to this book。 So I have my own thoughts on the matter as someone whose family underwent similar situations a couple of decades before the events of this book， but who saw them as the child of the adult worker rather than as the adult workers chronicled here。）Ultimately， your mileage on this will vary based on whether you can at minimum accept the author's biases for what they are or even if you outright fully agree with them。 But I *do* appreciate the flashes of growth she shows， particularly in later sections， as she learns just how fully human these people are， even as her prejudices early in the book somewhat openly show that she didn't fully appreciate just how fully human people like this could be before actually spending considerable time with them。 Indeed， the one outright flaw here is that there is at least a hint of impropriety when the author begins engaging perhaps a bit too much with the lives of her subjects - but again， that ultimately comes down to just how sensitive your own ethical meter is。 Overall a mostly strong book， and very much recommended。 。。。more

Jen Juenke ，

I really enjoyed this book。 The author weaves three people's stories about factory work in Indiana to her personal experience， to what is happening nationally and globably。The author wove this story with seamless effort。I enjoyed learning about Shannon， Wally， and John。 I really liked learning about their likes， their dreams， their hopes and most importantly their struggles as they try to navigate where they fit into the post Industrial world。I finally learned just how the NAFTA agreement affect I really enjoyed this book。 The author weaves three people's stories about factory work in Indiana to her personal experience， to what is happening nationally and globably。The author wove this story with seamless effort。I enjoyed learning about Shannon， Wally， and John。 I really liked learning about their likes， their dreams， their hopes and most importantly their struggles as they try to navigate where they fit into the post Industrial world。I finally learned just how the NAFTA agreement affected the workers directly， the rise of Donald Trump in the working class， and how detailed and demanding their jobs were/are。 The author was great at showing how all the workers were affected by ONE plant closure， the struggles they faced， and the bureaucracy that would keep some from being "retrained'。This is a great book that should be read by anyone wanting to know more about factory jobs/disappearing middle class/and the struggles of Americans everywhere。Get tissues at the ready for the conclusion of Wally's story。 I bawled my eyes out。 Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for allowing this ARC in exchange for this honest review。 。。。more

Sara ，

American Made is the story of what happens to employees when the factory they've been working at is closed down and moved out of the country。 Stockman chose three people to follow closely and we get a very good picture of their lives， beliefs， dreams and realities。 We also get a very good picture of what the factory means to these workers and the pride they have in their jobs。 We can also see the sense of community that is fostered in the factory and the kind of ties that are made amongst worker American Made is the story of what happens to employees when the factory they've been working at is closed down and moved out of the country。 Stockman chose three people to follow closely and we get a very good picture of their lives， beliefs， dreams and realities。 We also get a very good picture of what the factory means to these workers and the pride they have in their jobs。 We can also see the sense of community that is fostered in the factory and the kind of ties that are made amongst workers--often entirely regardless of color。 Stockman addresses racial issues and compares and contrasts politics and economic issues between blue class and liberal wealthier folks。 Class issues are addressed in both Stockman's words and the words of her three interview subjects。 This book does a good job of busing stereotypes and giving us liberals a better idea of why trump succeeded， at least initially。 I hope a lot of people will read this book。 。。。more

Bonnye Reed ，

Netgalleypub date October 12， 2021Random House

Dave ，

“American Made What Happens to People When Work Disappears” is， at its best， a story about factories closing in the Midwest and work disappearing to Mexico and China。 It is the story about what happens to the proud people who work the heavy machines and are forced to train their foreign replacements as the factories in their hometown close and work disappears like water circling and then washing down the drain。 Indianapolis， where the story takes place， was a center of manufacturing where people “American Made What Happens to People When Work Disappears” is， at its best， a story about factories closing in the Midwest and work disappearing to Mexico and China。 It is the story about what happens to the proud people who work the heavy machines and are forced to train their foreign replacements as the factories in their hometown close and work disappears like water circling and then washing down the drain。 Indianapolis， where the story takes place， was a center of manufacturing where people with a high school education could get a high-paying job and take care of their families。 But， in a story all too familiar， those factories keep closing and the jobs keep going away。The story centers around three workers in a ball bearing plant， Rexnord， where Shannon， Wally， and John find themselves， each one of the three having faced struggles through life such as having children as teenagers， jail time， broken marriages， and domestic abuse。 None of the three are priveleged and none have ever had it easy。 Shannon， for instance， got a factory job in a male-dominated environment as a means of escaping a violent domestic abusive relationship。 Wally and John similarly fought their way to be accepted at the factory and in the union （for John）。The author is obviously talented and her craft is evident throughout these three interlaced stories that all end with the factory closing and no equivalent work available。 However， unlike Mike Rowe， the author here does not simply let these three stories speak for themselves and that is where the narrative falters。 The author， a Harvard-educated New York Times reporter， left the Upper Westside of Manhattan to journey to Indiana and find out why blue-collar Americans voted for Donald Trump in 2016。 It is evident from the start that the author looks down on these uneducated people as hillbillies and can’t fathom why unionized workers who have seen their jobs moved offshore for cheaper labor or find themselves now competing with illegal immigrants who are willing to undercut union wages to survive would vote for someone who seemed to understand their plight。 Thus， at times， the book was more about the author’s political leanings than about the three people who were supposed to be at the center of the story。The other point where the book falters is that the author constantly refers to the three people by their races even when it is not necessary to the narrative。 John is constantly referred to as a White man and Wally as a Black man rather than simply as individuals。 Ultimately， the author argues in the final chapters that， no matter what these people struggles are dealing with poverty， job losses， domestic abuse， or raising a special needs child， those struggles are unimportant in comparison to their skin color and the lessons on critical race theory that the final chapters convey。What could have been a top-notch book about how tough life is when the factory closes and the jobs go away becomes nothing more than a New York Times editorial page that focuses on other issues， not on the difficulties that come with the loss of high-paying skilled factory jobs。 。。。more

Sara Broad ，

"American Made" by Farah Stockman follows the story of several people in Indiana as the deal with the blow of pending and eventual unemployment due to factory closings。 Stockman spends a lot of time immersed in the lives of the people featured in this book and their families。 Stockman uses the stories of people like Wally， Shannon， and John to illustrate the upheaval caused in towns where it is no longer possible to live a comfortable， secure middle class life as factories shutter and other loca "American Made" by Farah Stockman follows the story of several people in Indiana as the deal with the blow of pending and eventual unemployment due to factory closings。 Stockman spends a lot of time immersed in the lives of the people featured in this book and their families。 Stockman uses the stories of people like Wally， Shannon， and John to illustrate the upheaval caused in towns where it is no longer possible to live a comfortable， secure middle class life as factories shutter and other local jobs offer significantly lower wages。 The author also uses her research to understand and explain how people， especially white people， in once booming factory towns found an ally in the 45th president of the United States。 It is also interesting to see how opinions changes as the former president's platform conflict with how policy plays out for those most affected by factory closures。 Stockman also dives a bit into labor history and how unions were， but still can be， one of our workforce's true strengths。 This is a really excellent book！ 。。。more

Kayo ，

Interesting book。 Good read。 Thanks to author， publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book。 While I got the book for free， it had no bearing on the rating I gave it。