Disillusioned by Benjamin Herold

This book follows five families from five different parts of the country addressing the trials and tribulations associated with disappointment with living in the suburbs in the United States. These are families of color that sought comfort and promise in America’s suburbs over these past couple of decades, they live outside these metropolis': Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles, and Pittsburgh. In each of these communities, he zeroes in on the schools, in large part because education captures the essence of what attracted these families: the prospect of something better for their kids was a primary motivator for moving, and how their expectations were not met with the reality. This is a sprawling book, which is its virtue and the source of its occasional misfires. Five families are a lot to keep track of. I found myself confused at times, and not sure that other than the good geographic distribution they are all needed as the stories have a lot of overlap. Finally, here’s someone to take us to the places that early on served as an escape valve, mostly for white families fleeing the changing demographics of urban America, the places where many Americans imagined a kind of social and economic utopia. The crux of the matter is that suburbs were largely designed to accommodate white families who wanted to step back in time and avoid a changing social structure, and that is not a place designed for all people.