Blue in a Red State: The Survival Guide to Life in the Real America

by Justin Krebs

Overview

Imagine if you felt out of step with every other member of the parent association at your kid's school, your quilting circle, or even your workout group. What if casual conversations revolved around Fox News and the decline of American values? How would you feel if you were afraid to put a political bumper sticker on your car or had to think twice about what liberal posts you liked on Facebook? These are just some of the experiences shared by liberals across twenty states and five time zones who tell their stories with honesty, warmth, and humor.

Most of us have to “talk across the aisle” once or twice a year—when we're seated next to our conservative out-of-town uncle at Thanksgiving, say. But millions of self- identified liberals live in cities and towns—particularly away from the East and West Coasts—where they are regularly outnumbered and outvoted by conservatives.

In this uplifting and completely original book, Justin Krebs, the founder of the national Living Liberally network, speaks with and tells the stories of atheists, vegetarians, environmentalists, pacifists, and old-fashioned liberals—a term he is intent on rehabilitating—from Texas to Idaho, South Carolina to Alaska. Krebs weaves these stories together to create a provocative and rollicking taxonomy of strategies for living in a diverse society, with lessons for every participant in our great democratic experiment.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781595589729
Publisher:	New Press, The
Publication date:	03/01/2016
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 8.30(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Justin Krebs is a political and cultural entrepreneur, strategist and writer. He is the founding director of Living Liberally, a national progressive social organization with over 200 chapters. The organization is primarily composed of Drinking Liberally happy hours, which give liberals around the country the opportunity to get offline and form face-to-face friendships. He has worked as an adviser bringing new media techniques, cultural elements and creative campaign approaches to conventional progressive allies. He lives in Brooklyn.

Table of Contents

Introduction ix

Waukesha, Wisconsin Lisa Muxworthy 1

Sandia Park, New Mexico Spike Murphree 11

Cincinnati, Ohio Rebecca Lehman Chris Flowers 25

Fairbanks, Alaska Diane Fleeks 36

Idaho Falls, Idaho Dan Henry 46

Little Elm, Texas John Turner-McClelland 55

Kalispell, Montana Susannah Casey 67

Pawleys Island, South Carolina Rita Dean Smith 76

Tuscaloosa, Alabama/New York, New York Desmond Porbeni 89

Grapevine, Texas Kathleen Thompson 103

Fayetteville, Arkansas Greg Leding 113

Yankton, South Dakota Chris Sonne 121

Spartanburg, South Carolina Diane Al Cass Chulick 132

Austin, Texas Lenzi Sheible 143

Brandon, Florida Joe Litton 153

Milford, Massachusetts Glenn Christina Wiech 163

Pomeroy, Iowa Byron Stuart 176

Acknowledgments 185

Editorial Reviews

Praise for Blue in a Red State:
"It will make you laugh. It will make you angry. And it will leave you feeling optimistic about America. Blue in a Red State is a real gem."
—Bob Herbert, Distinguished Senior Fellow at Demos and former op-ed columnist for the New York Times

"An illuminating view of how real people deal with political differences. Participating in our democracy is not always a smooth journey, but Krebs shows liberals how to maintain their values, their dignity, even their sense of humor in the process."
—Liz Shuler, Secretary-Treasurer of the AFL-CIO

"Fascinating stories of real Americans navigating fraught political territories. We can all learn something about how to reach across the aisle from Blue in a Red State."
—Thom Hartmann, Radio/TV Host

"Krebs gives hope that there is a way for progressives to live happily in red states. A fun read and great advice."
—Andy Stern, Former Head of SEIU

“Krebs approaches his subjects with candor and respect.”
—Kirkus

Praise for Justin Krebs's 538 Ways to Live, Work, and Play as a Liberal:
"Krebs says Americans can live a more socially conscious, environmentally friendly and liberally minded life. He even advises readers on how to raise their kids liberally and how to effectively engage in dinner table debate with their conservative counterparts. Being liberal isn't just a political choice, Krebs argues. It's a lifestyle."
—In These Times

"A sanity-saving, moral guide to living in a contemporary society hell-bent on crushing you with its consumer choices, paralyzing you with moral relativism, and making you want to go numb with all the pain and injustice."
—Feministing

Praise for Justin Krebs:
"Politicians want to pick his brain, women want to play with his ponytail; as social movement movers and shakers go, Drinking Liberally co-founder Justin Krebs is a virtual whirling dervish of democratic dynamism."
—Alternet

From the Publisher

2015-11-10
Krebs (538 Ways to Live, Work, and Play Like a Liberal, 2010) seeks to paint a portrait of liberals living among the enemy, as it were, by choice. As a campaign director for MoveOn.org and founder of Living Liberally, a national network of political social clubs, the author writes knowledgeably about people across the country—in Waukesha, Wisconsin; Little Elm, Texas; Fayetteville, Arkansas; Pawleys Island, South Carolina; Pomeroy, Iowa; and elsewhere—who have chosen to stay in a politically unwelcoming environment for a variety of reasons. For some, it's home, where they were raised. For others, they state that it's not so bad and that there are residents who, like them, think liberally but keep quiet about it. Many stay because moving to a big city, college, or coastal town is too much like giving up; plus, there's no challenge there. The author proclaims that equating churches with conservatism is as wrong as equating atheists with liberalism. Furthermore, there are radicals in every way of thought, and liberalism is not immune. Some liberals quietly listen but stand up when called for, giving to and taking part in their communities. Others live provocatively, with bumper stickers and lawn signs for elections, always ready to jump into the fight. The majority love where they live, and they count on their neighbors and return the favor. One woman said her town was a great place to live; it just had no health care, maintained infrastructure, or working educational system. Another mentions that many of the residents think that the recycling program is a socialist plot. Throughout, Krebs approaches his subjects with candor and respect. From Massachusetts and Florida to Montana and Alaska, with each chapter, both conservative and liberal readers will react strongly, but most will do nothing about it. Hopefully, however, the book will spur discussion and civic action.

Kirkus Reviews