Dying of Whiteness

How the Politics of Racial Resentment Is Killing America's Heartland

By: Jonathan M. Metzl

Narrated by: Jamie Renell

A physician reveals how right-wing backlash policies have mortal consequences - even for the white voters they promise to help.

Named one of the most anticipated books of 2019 by Esquire and the Boston Globe.

In the era of Donald Trump, many lower- and middle-class white Americans are drawn to politicians who pledge to make their lives great again. But as Dying of Whiteness shows, the policies that result actually place white Americans at ever-greater risk of sickness and death.

Physician Jonathan M. Metzl's quest to understand the health implications of "backlash governance" leads him across America's heartland. Interviewing a range of everyday Americans, he examines how racial resentment has fueled progun laws in Missouri, resistance to the Affordable Care Act in Tennessee, and cuts to schools and social services in Kansas. And he shows these policies' costs: increasing deaths by gun suicide, falling life expectancies, and rising dropout rates. White Americans, Metzl argues, must reject the racial hierarchies that promise to aid them but in fact lead our nation to demise.

©2019 Jonathan M. Metzl (P)2019 Hachette Audio

Every social justice leader should read this book

There are so many nuggets and strategies woven in the accounts in this book that I recommend anyone doing work around social justice should also take a listen!

Shocked

It is amazing the levels people will go to not have to re-think their beliefs even when confronted with irrefutable facts to the opposite. People vote against their best interests and are willing to die on a hill because they cannot expand their minds. This book will have you shaking your head in disbelief and teach the reader to look at their own blind spots.

Democrats listen up

Is it possible that the answer to all the degradation presented in this excellent research, presented in an engaging manner, could be as simple as giving a big hug to a Trump supporter near you. The people described herein are not deplorable they are human. Which is to say they have been deceived by ruthless ideologues who are preying on their decency. Show them a righteous path out of their predicament and they will take it.

thought provoking, especially in these times

should be required listening for anyone looking to understand their whiteness better. fifteen words. words.

interesting

thus book was very interesting, it opened my eyes to alot of things. must read

Great book!

Fantastic read about how white people vote against their interests every time they vote. A true shame.

He hit the nail right on the head!

He really bolsters his arguments with verifiable facts & statistics which improves his case where people on the other side can just state their prejudices with anecdotal evidence and be believed.

One of the best...

One of the best performed narrations I've experienced...Jamie Renell provides an engaging read without employing overtly tacky performative impersonations that are often more distracting than flattering. Insightful and informative, the earnestness and sincerity of the author shines through with compassion and empathy in trying to gain some insight around the idea of "whiteness" and the reason so many working-class white people hold steadfast in preserving such a belief system, even when doing so causes them to suffer heavy emotional and physical damage.

Highly informative

This book is extremely well researched and organized. The writing is clear and the narrator does a great job. Even though there are a fair amount of numbers and statistics, the author clearly explains his research methods and the meaning of the data, without insulting the intelligence of the reader. The data does not detract from the narrative, but rather enhances his thesis.

Must listen!

Great analysis of the toxic whiteness that is killing our country. The author asks pertinent questions and tries to figure out why whiteness has made white folks delusional, suicidal, and act against their own interests.
Kamakaze whiteness is killing our country but he never really gets to a solid answer. Whiteness is like an onion that needs to be peeled back and this book is a layer of the onion being examined.
I wish he could write another book on the media and its brainwashing effects of the GOP and Fox News and Sinclair Broadcast group. A lot of the folks he interviews basically said verbatim the phrases they hear from Fox News and Sinclair Broadcast group (a Fortune 500 company that owns all local markets).
There should be a study on the loneliness of individualism and how TV is their best friend and how TV and radio are being used to promote racism and brainwash regular white Americans.