Abandoned in the Heartland [electronic resource] : Work, Family, and Living in East St. Louis
Hamer, Jennifer.
Berkeley, Calif. ; London : University of California Press,
c2011.
Urban poverty, along with all of its poignant manifestations, is moving from city centers to working-class and industrial suburbs in contemporary America. Nowhere is this more evident than in East St. Louis, Illinois. Once a thriving manufacturing and transportation center, East St. Louis is now known for its unemployment, crime, and collapsing infrastructure. Abandoned in the Heartland takes us into the lives of East St. Louis's predominantly African American residents to find out what has happened since industry abandoned the city, and jobs, quality schools, and city services disappea
Description based upon print version of record.
Cover; Contents; Illustrations; Acknowledgments; Prologue; Chapter One: In America's Heartland; Chapter Two: East St. Louisans and Their Cars; Chapter Three: Work and Meaning in a Jobless Suburb; Chapter Four: Hustling, Clean and Dirty; Chapter Five: "Around here, women never get done workin'"; Chapter Six: "Gotta protect my own"; Chapter Seven: The Cost of Abandonment; Epilogue: Obama and East St. Louis; Notes; Selected Bibliography; Index
Urban poverty, along with all of its poignant manifestations, is moving from city centers to working-class and industrial suburbs in contemporary America. Nowhere is this more evident than in East St. Louis, Illinois. Once a thriving manufacturing and transportation center, East St. Louis is now known for its unemployment, crime, and collapsing infrastructure. Abandoned in the Heartland takes us into the lives of East St. Louis's predominantly African American residents to find out what has happened since industry abandoned the city, and jobs, quality schools, and city services disappea
Description based on print version record.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
African Americans - Illinois - East Saint Louis.
African Americans -- Illinois -- East Saint Louis.
East Saint Louis (Ill.) - Economic conditions - 21st century.
East Saint Louis (Ill.) -- Economic conditions -- 21st century.
East Saint Louis (Ill.) - Social conditions - 21st century.
East Saint Louis (Ill.) -- Social conditions -- 21st century.
Working class - Illinois - East Saint Louis.
Working class -- Illinois -- East Saint Louis.
Working class
African Americans
Sociology & Social History
Social Sciences
Social Conditions