“Deb and Jim Fallows tell the story in their book ‘Our Towns: A 100,000-Mile Journey into the Heart of America,’ but you can read about it in any local newspaper…
“For five years, the Fallows have been flying their single-engine prop airplane into dozens of towns to understand what the people there see as their community’s problems and how they…
Brooke talks with James and Deborah about their findings, including a list of what they call the “10 and 1/2 Signs of Civic Success,” which include openness to cultural diversity, innovative schools…
Congress’s approval ratings are in the gutter, local candidates routinely campaign against Washington, and voter turnout for national elections rarely tops 60 percent. Politicians can be counted on to campaign…
“Ralph talks to Atlantic magazine writer and former protégé, James Fallows, about the trip he took with his wife, Deborah, that resulted in their book, “Our Towns: A 100,000-Mile Journey…
“Fallows says that in several areas – civic engagement, returning talent, growth of tech start-ups, downtown revitalisation, an openness to immigrants and thriving libraries – local America seems to be…
“The credo of reporting—you know, what you don’t know till you show it—that’s my ‘this-I-believe.’ That’s the reason I’ve stayed in this line of work for this many decades because…
“But by contrast, city by city by city in most parts of the country, even those dealing most seriously with the opioid disaster, even those that have had the most…
“When they arrived they asked questions, just not the ones you’ve seen on television. They didn’t ask who people voted for, or where they stood on President Trump or Hillary…
“The Central Valley is often included when folks disparagingly reference “flyover country” or “the heartland” — those parts of the country that don’t touch an ocean, that some might rather…
“There’s a paradox that I think all of us in the media need to grapple with, which is that polls show that people think it’s really a terrible time for…
Many pundits wring their hands over America’s small towns as places that have fallen behind in the rapidly changing 21st-century economy. But James Fallows and Deborah Fallows, co-authors of Our…
“In place after place, “Our Towns” captures a sense of energy and confidence among local leaders working to tackle the problems in their own communities. Schools trying out wildly creative…