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Title: Deer Hunting with Jesus: Dispatches from America's Class War
ISBN: 0307339378
Author:
Joe Bageant
Publicate Date: 2008-06-24
Publish: 2008-06-24
List Price: $13.95
Average Customer Rating: 4.0
Format: Paperback
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $7.86
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $7.57
Amazon Merchant Price: $11.16
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| Customer Review: |
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1: An insider's view of a world hidden from American suburbanites
This tends to wax very partisan Democratic, which isn't my preference, but the author does so well describing the various characters in his small town, you can't help but read this and feel like you've gotten to know these people better- people living outside the heavily corporatized, overprocessed, standardized bland bubble of suburban America. Some of the author's observations are compelling, regardless of one's politics- the chapter on Lyndie England, for example. If you tend to approach politics with a thoughtfulness, and a desire to genuinely understand those who are different or unfamiliar, rather than mindlessly clinging to the "party line" as told by radio talkshow hosts, you will find this to be a very good book, regardless of your political affiliation.
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2: Why Rednecks Vote Republican
Bageant hits a home run in "Deer Hunting With Jesus." Only a skilled expatriate writer returning to his roots in Appalachia could weave a story explaining why dirt poor white folk put their faith in political dogmas that run against their own best economic interests. Partly due to poor education and ignorance, the redneck mindset developed out of the history of persecuted Scotch-Irish immigrants living in mountainous isolation in frontier America. This book is about real people, old friends, whose names and identities have been changed to protect their privacy. It's about the way they think and why.
Rather than despising the way they pooh-pooh evolutionary science and feel sorry for their belief in a literal interpretation of the Bible, Bageant's has you empathizing with these old friends in Winchester, Virginia. Down home jokes have you laughing even guffawing at this take on Americana. Blue-state voters owe it to themselves to read "Deer Hunter With Jesus" just to fathom the reality behind the "red neck state" mentality.
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3: Biggoted and bitter....pure junk, but entertaining
This book was a joke. Joe is obviously bitter at the world. Having lived in a small town, I can relate to some of his observations, and he should be ashamed of his general review of "his community". He is obviously deeply offended by those that have "made money" in his hometown.
I would not buy this book again...just too much good stuff out there to read. I kept reading the book, though, for I thought he would get to a point, which he never did.
Rednecks, biggots, ignorants, and more of this type may "get a kick" out of this book, but for me, it was a wasted expense.
Sorry, but this is the way I see the book.
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4: A Must Read
This was a "must read" before this year's election and now moving forward to get our nation working together, its message is even more critical.
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5: Footnotes!!!
The picture he paints here is definately one that is very troubling. I am in complete agreement with him as to the scale of the problems that our nations face. I think the way that he is able to humanize the ignorant is commendable. His book ultimately has one major flaw that keeps me from giving it a 5 star rating, that flaw is the lack of footnotes. He does cite diferrent authors along the way keeping me from just assuming that he is on a long rant. Footnotes would have made his message/narrative harder to dimiss or refute. Overall funny, insightful and highly entertaining but has a weakness in it's lack of verifiable sources.
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