Books like Alienated America by Timothy P. Carney

In the thirty-five years after 1890, more than 20 million immigrants came to the United States - a greater number than in any comparable period before or since. Despite American mythology about "melting pots" and "tossed salads," the newcomers were often treated in hostile fashion. Tracing their experiences in confronting the forces of American nativism, Roger Daniels finds that a period of supposed progress was instead filled with conflict and xenophobia. If so many immigrants came to American shores in this period, how can it be called an age of nativism? "The answer," Mr. Daniels writes, "is that by the 1890s powerful anti-immigrant forces had already become organized. Slowly but surely these nativists worked toward what became their major triumph, the so-called National Origins Act of 1924." But immigrants alone were not the focus of reactionary forces; African Americans and Native Americans also suffered abuse and neglect. In his analytical narrative, Mr. Daniels examines the condition of these three groups, with attention to legislation, judicial decisions, mob violence, and the responses of minorities.

From the author, an economist, this book is an examination of innovation and success, and where to find them in America. An unprecedented redistribution of jobs, population, and wealth is under way in America, and it is likely to accelerate in the years to come. America's new economic map shows growing differences, not just between people but especially between communities. In this book, the author provides a fresh perspective on the tectonic shifts that are reshaping America's labor market, from globalization and income inequality to immigration and technological progress, and how these shifts are affecting our communities. Drawing on a wealth of new studies, the author uncovers what smart policies may be appropriate to address the social challenges that are arising. We are used to thinking of the United States in dichotomous terms: red versus blue, black versus white, haves versus have-nots. But today there are three Americas. At one extreme are the brain hubs, cities like San Francisco, Boston, Austin, and Durham, with a well-educated labor force and a strong innovation sector. Their workers are among the most productive, creative, and best paid on the planet. At the other extreme are cities once dominated by traditional manufacturing, which are declining rapidly, losing jobs and residents. In the middle are a number of cities that could go either way. For the past thirty years, the three Americas have been growing apart at an accelerating rate. This divergence is one the most important recent developments in the United States and is causing growing geographic disparities is all other aspects of our lives, from health and longevity to family stability and political engagement. But the winners and losers are not necessarily who you would expect. The author's research shows that you do not have to be a scientist or an engineer to thrive in one of these brain hubs. Among the beneficiaries are the workers who support the "idea-creators", the carpenters, hair stylists, personal trainers, lawyers, doctors, teachers and the like. In fact, he has shown that for every new innovation job in a city, five additional non-innovation jobs are created, and those workers earn higher salaries than their counterparts in other cities. It was not supposed to be this way. As the global economy shifted from manufacturing to innovation, geography was supposed to matter less. But the pundits were wrong. A new map is being drawn, the inevitable result of deep-seated but rarely discussed economic forces. These trends are reshaping the very fabric of our society. Dealing with this split, supporting growth in the hubs while arresting the decline elsewhere, will be the challenge of the century.