{"product_id":"midwest-futures","title":"Midwest Futures","description":"\u003cp\u003e“A combination of history, memoir, reportage, and lit-crit that taught me a lot about a region I’ve reported on. . . . Check it out.” ―James Fallows, The Atlantic\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eA Commonweal Notable Book of 2020\u003cbr\u003eFinalist, Midwest Independent Book Award\u003cbr\u003eWinner, Independent Publisher Awards Bronze Medal\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eWhat does the future hold for the Midwest? A vast stretch of fertile farmland bordering one of the largest concentrations of fresh water in the world, the Midwestern US seems ideally situated for the coming challenges of climate change. But it also sits at the epicenter of a massive economic collapse that many of its citizens are still struggling to overcome.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThe question of what the Midwest is (and what it will become) is nothing new. As Phil Christman writes in this idiosyncratic new book, ambiguity might be the region’s defining characteristic. Taking a cue from Jefferson’s grid, the famous rectangular survey of the Old Northwest Territory that turned everything from Ohio to Wisconsin into square-mile lots, Christman breaks his exploration of Midwestern identity, past and present, into thirty-six brief, interconnected essays. The result is a sometimes sardonic, often uproarious, and consistently thought-provoking look at a misunderstood place and the people who call it home.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Belt Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53495970889839,"sku":"9781948742610","price":26.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2488\/1775\/files\/9781948742610.jpg?v=1782927831","url":"https:\/\/bookclubkc.com\/products\/midwest-futures","provider":"The Book Club","version":"1.0","type":"link"}