Authors to share journey into heart of America
James and Deborah Fallows found the heartbeat of America by flying to more than two dozen of its smaller cities. Courtesy photo
By Barb Mosher, Contributing Writer
If you want a better understanding of the current character of America, you could spend several years crisscrossing the country visiting dozens of towns and having intentional dialog with the folks who live and work in them. Or, you could come to the Historic Elk Rapids Town Hall Thursday, July 25 at 5:30 p.m. and hear from a best-selling husband and wife writing team who did just that.
James Fallows and Deborah Fallows will speak about the experiences chronicled in their book, “Our Towns: A 100,000-Mile Journey into the Heart of America,” during the event that is co-sponsored by Green Elk Rapids and the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation. Deborah Wyatt Fellows, founder and editor-in-chief of Traverse magazine, will facilitate the discussion including a question and answer session. The community conversation is open to the public at no charge, but donations are encouraged to support GreenER.
The Fallowses set out six years ago to investigate America one town at a time, hoping to discover “a narrative about the backbone and character of the region and maybe beyond that, to help explain the character of the country.” Realizing that the country was heading toward an increasing divisiveness at the national level, they sought to explore the substance of its society at the grassroots level.
“We wanted to take a fresh look at the country, its disappointments and its possibilities,” wrote James, who has been a national correspondent for The Atlantic for more than 35 years. “Most parts of the U.S. that we visited have been doing better, in most ways, than most Americans realize.”
With a goal of investigating parts of the country generally overlooked by national media, James and Deborah put together a list of more than two dozen “medium-sized or below cities” (populations between 40,000 and 140,000), climbed into their single-engine propeller airplane, and took off in June 2013 for Sioux Falls, South Dakota. It would be the first stop of 25 extended visits they would make over the course of four years, finishing up in Erie, Pennsylvania in 2016.
In each town, they stayed long enough to meet and talk with community leaders—business owners, mayors, teachers, students, artists, religious leaders, librarians, and others—who were instrumental in shaping the future of their cities. What they found as they interacted with real people doing the work of addressing real community struggles enabled the couple to see “a broader sample of modern America’s realities than most of its citizens will ever have a chance to do.” And that gave them hope in the future of the country.
“The focus in successful towns was not on insoluble national divisions but on practical problems a community could address,” they wrote. “A clear view of the America of our era contains serious perils, like always, but also more promise than at many other times.”
Wherever they speak, the Fallowses hope to share useful connections, guidance, and encouragement about how citizens in similar communities are addressing similar concerns, generating a greater likelihood of success. James said they are eager to meet “anyone who is curious about the possibilities for his or her own local community, including family and business and religious organizations and all the other things that give some kind of fabric to community.”
“We’re thrilled to have the Fallowses coming to our town,” said Royce Ragland, Green Elk Rapids chairperson. “Their ability to share their insights and describe the spirit of the places they visited will be an inspiration to our community and our leaders.”
Green Elk Rapids is a local volunteer organization committed to raising awareness of environmental issues through collaboration with schools, village government, businesses, and community organizations.
“Although we clearly see our mission as raising awareness about environmental issues, we’re also keenly aware that the way we do that is engaging our community and working with other organizations,” Ragland said. “The message of ‘Our Towns’ is right on target for the way we try to operate.” For more information, visit www.greenelkrapids.org.
The Fallowses will also speak Friday, July 26, at 10 a.m. at the Cathedral Barn at Historic Barns Park in Traverse City, hosted by the GTR Community Foundation. Event registration is $15. For more information and to register, visit https://bpt.me/4253577.
The GTR Community Foundation was established in 1992 to create healthy, resilient, thriving communities in Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska and Leelanau Counties by serving donors, awarding meaningful grants and scholarships, and participating in collaborative leadership on important community issues. For more information, visit www.gtrcf.org.
If you want a better understanding of the current character of America, you could spend several years crisscrossing the country visiting dozens of towns and having intentional dialog with the folks who live and work in them. Or, you could come to the Historic Elk Rapids Town Hall Thursday, July 25 at 5:30 p.m. and hear from a best-selling husband and wife writing team who did just that.
James Fallows and Deborah Fallows will speak about the experiences chronicled in their book, “Our Towns: A 100,000-Mile Journey into the Heart of America,” during the event that is co-sponsored by Green Elk Rapids and the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation. Deborah Wyatt Fellows, founder and editor-in-chief of Traverse magazine, will facilitate the discussion including a question and answer session. The community conversation is open to the public at no charge, but donations are encouraged to support GreenER.
The Fallowses set out six years ago to investigate America one town at a time, hoping to discover “a narrative about the backbone and character of the region and maybe beyond that, to help explain the character of the country.” Realizing that the country was heading toward an increasing divisiveness at the national level, they sought to explore the substance of its society at the grassroots level.
“We wanted to take a fresh look at the country, its disappointments and its possibilities,” wrote James, who has been a national correspondent for The Atlantic for more than 35 years. “Most parts of the U.S. that we visited have been doing better, in most ways, than most Americans realize.”
With a goal of investigating parts of the country generally overlooked by national media, James and Deborah put together a list of more than two dozen “medium-sized or below cities” (populations between 40,000 and 140,000), climbed into their single-engine propeller airplane, and took off in June 2013 for Sioux Falls, South Dakota. It would be the first stop of 25 extended visits they would make over the course of four years, finishing up in Erie, Pennsylvania in 2016.
In each town, they stayed long enough to meet and talk with community leaders—business owners, mayors, teachers, students, artists, religious leaders, librarians, and others—who were instrumental in shaping the future of their cities. What they found as they interacted with real people doing the work of addressing real community struggles enabled the couple to see “a broader sample of modern America’s realities than most of its citizens will ever have a chance to do.” And that gave them hope in the future of the country.
“The focus in successful towns was not on insoluble national divisions but on practical problems a community could address,” they wrote. “A clear view of the America of our era contains serious perils, like always, but also more promise than at many other times.”
Wherever they speak, the Fallowses hope to share useful connections, guidance, and encouragement about how citizens in similar communities are addressing similar concerns, generating a greater likelihood of success. James said they are eager to meet “anyone who is curious about the possibilities for his or her own local community, including family and business and religious organizations and all the other things that give some kind of fabric to community.”
“We’re thrilled to have the Fallowses coming to our town,” said Royce Ragland, Green Elk Rapids chairperson. “Their ability to share their insights and describe the spirit of the places they visited will be an inspiration to our community and our leaders.”
Green Elk Rapids is a local volunteer organization committed to raising awareness of environmental issues through collaboration with schools, village government, businesses, and community organizations.
“Although we clearly see our mission as raising awareness about environmental issues, we’re also keenly aware that the way we do that is engaging our community and working with other organizations,” Ragland said. “The message of ‘Our Towns’ is right on target for the way we try to operate.” For more information, visit www.greenelkrapids.org.
The Fallowses will also speak Friday, July 26, at 10 a.m. at the Cathedral Barn at Historic Barns Park in Traverse City, hosted by the GTR Community Foundation. Event registration is $15. For more information and to register, visit https://bpt.me/4253577.
The GTR Community Foundation was established in 1992 to create healthy, resilient, thriving communities in Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska and Leelanau Counties by serving donors, awarding meaningful grants and scholarships, and participating in collaborative leadership on important community issues. For more information, visit www.gtrcf.org.
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