I have a theory about the northern white folks who made this man's [bad] book a bestseller, and it involves the words "patronizing" &"infantilization."
I was teaching Intro Soc at the time and students would come tell me about it... Have you read it? I had Appalachian Reckoning nearby. Read this instead.
That book is another example of "listen to the Black women!" I remember Imani Gandi reviewing it and she was spot on for why it was crap. It just took white readers until he ran for Congress to figure it out.
The “if books could kill” podcast talked at length about the blurbs and praise it got. Huge names from all over the political spectrum
I just assumed that no one read it.
I think there was also just a lot of desperation to understand what had happened, so some people grasped whatever was on offer.