I read this book back in 2014 when it came out and when I saw it was being re-released I thought it would be interesting to listen to it after all this time. That is exactly how I would describe my experience with this audiobook - interesting. Some of the information feels very relevant in today's world and some seems of course out of touch. Overall, I enjoyed this reread (listen) and still reference this book everytime I am trying to explain why people may not vote in their best interests. Thank you for the review copy!

This one was OK I mean not my favorite not the worst but OKThis one was OK I mean not my favorite not the worst but OK

If you’ve ever taken a step back from our polarized political landscape and wondered how the hell we got here, this is definitely a book for you. As a proud, lifelong Kansan who has often pondered WTF is wrong with this state, I’ve been wanting to read this for a while. “What’s the Matter with Kansas?” was first published right around the time when I was starting to become more politically and culturally aware, but I never managed to get around to reading it. So of course I jumped at the chance when I saw this on NetGalley, re-released on audio earlier in August.

Part memoir and part midwestern cultural critique, we learn about Kansas’s surprisingly progressive and at times radical history, leading up to the Evangelical Christian Right taking over as the prevailing political force in the state. It’s a little more than left-leaning in its bias but makes sure to throw some shade at the Dems for their missteps over the past 50 years. A fantastic pre-midterm election season listen.🎧

And there’s a bonus for bookish friends of Kansas City! A peek into the past and how Johnson County became the bougie, corporate haven it is. Full disclosure: I live in JoCo and love these cookie cutter burbs, but am suffering no delusions of its grandeur.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Many thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the complimentary audio copy of this work! Opinions expressed here are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley for the audiobook ARC!

What's the Matter with Kansas was a very interesting and intriguing look at the political changeover that took place in Kansas in the late 90s and early 00s. But it's uncanny how much of it still rings true today! Definitely an interesting read if you like political science and analysis. The author does a great job of narrating as well.

I’ve always wondered how a poor or anyone from the working class could vote republican and obviously Thomas Frank wondered it as well. Because he wrote a book about it. What’s The Matter With Kansas, was written in 2002, but it is still apropos to politics today.it’s also narrated by the author and I think it added even more humor to an already humorous book. Usually when an author reads their own Book it doesn’t come out as good but Thomas Frank made it better. You can tell while he is reading it he too find his word just as funny as the listener will. Just because he questions poor Republicans, that doesn’t mean liberals get off easy either. This is a fair and balanced criticism of both parties but mainly poor Republicans. I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I do think if you’re not familiar with the Reagan years and the first and second bush you may not enjoy it, but if you are then you will. No one gets out of the critical eye of Mr. Frank and it’s all in this book and one I highly recommend. I received this book from net galley and the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review but all opinions are definitely my own.

This is a piece of political commentary with an interesting takeaway at its heart that gets lost in ten dollar words and highly opinionated, polarizing diatribes. Frank's essential thesis is that Kansans often vote for Republicans, the party of big businesses and tax breaks for the wealthy, despite Democrats supporting economic policies that would actually benefit most Kansans' interests. The driving reason behind this is that Republicans have set themselves up to align with Kansans' Christian, conservative values on "wedge" issues such as abortion and immigration. Frank recommends that Democrats downplay these moral/ethical topics and instead play up the benefits for the everyman that their policies would promote, such as farm subsidies and unions.

I think I missed out on the cultural moment of this book back when it was released in 2003, but I picked it up because it's being re-released on audio and I saw it on Netgalley. The author provides a brief note on this context in the beginning, but maintains that he does not want to update it to reflect a) the results of any elections since its publishing, or b) how his analysis might have changed or be applicable to said elections. This implies that his logic has not really changed since then, and that Bush's second term, Obama, and Trump were all a result of middle Americans voting against their economic interests. Not sure I agree with that.

Despite the central thesis I described above being compelling and rational, Frank's book did not appeal to me. His language is so flowery, over-the-top, and grandiloquent (ha, see what I did there?) that his actual argument was hard to discern. Very little of his claims are backed up by facts, making this just a book-length opinion column rather than well-researched socio-political analysis. He writes in such a way that seems to offend or criticize pretty much any kind of reader, especially the idiot Kansans (paraphrasing his words, not mine) who vote against their own interests. Seems a bit paternalistic to write an ENTIRE book about how hundreds of thousands of people don't know what's good for them, even if I basically agree with this statement. Finally, a nitpick, but the way he pronounces some of the words in the audiobook are annoying - "ay-leet" for "elite," and "kwazy" for "quasi."

Overall: I'm sure this was important at another moment in political history, but now it feels a bit outdated and generalized, something that does not set it apart in a saturated field of "How did our country get here?" political analysis books.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for access to the Advacced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

Audiobook version.

As a resident of Kansas for almost 30 years, who grew up conservative but has moved more centrist and then have become more left leaning in the last few years, I was interested in reading this book. Unfortunately, I was pretty disappointed.

The author keeps touching on how he's from Mission Hills and that what was once a regular town and become more of an area for the elite who are snobs. And yet, when you work for the county and deal with those snobs, he comes across as one of those people he detests, the only difference being he has different political leanings.

This was a difficult book to get through, and if I hadn't been reading it for NetGalley, I wouldn't have finished it. He complains about all the things that are wrong with Kansas, blaming them on conservatives, without regard to whether it's wholly an issue because of conservatives.

I was hopeful to gain knowledge with this book. All I walked away from it with is irritation at his black and white thinking and frustration that even when you are coming from a more centrist view, you can't make his rambling (and he rambles a lot) make much sense.