Journalists Deborah and James Fallows? 100,000-mile trip to find what?s working in this country A kind of journalistic cottage industry has sprung up since the last presidential election. Writers parachute into an area?identified as a rural or small town, real, authentic, yet mostly forgotten?and ask them about national politics and local struggles.
While these pieces have become so commonplace to warrant parody, they do offer up important perspectives of Americans often left out or stereotyped.
But what if the problem isn?t that we?re not hearing enough stories about the frustrated residents and economically depressed parts of the country"
What if we?re so focused on the negative that we?re ignoring successes in our midst" The idea behind Our Towns, a new book by co-authors Deborah and James Fallows, who have been married since 1971, was asking the right questions?namely, where are things working, and where are exciting things happening. Subtitled ?A 100,000-mile journey into the heart of America,? it?s an engaging panorama of how small cities and towns from nearly every corner of the country have proven to be more resilient, flexible, and dynamic than many realize.

The Fallows don?t want to oversell the extent of this grassroots energy. The economic inequality that has harmed small-town U.S.A. in the last few decades isn?t resolved, and the federal government remains gridlocked when it comes to solutions. But after extensive reporting ...