A fresh and factual look at the US

Be careful before making sweeping generalizations about the US and its citizens until you have seen this atlas. The Real State of America: Mapping the Myths and Truths of The United States shows how diverse the country really is. And how unequal its citizens are, too, due to policy choices being made at state and local levels.

The Real State works like a series of snapshots of the realities of contemporary American life. What parts of the country are religious, and with what affiliations? In what states is the military most tied into the economy? How physically healthy are Americans? Where are the jobs and in what sectors? Who is suffering the most from foreclosures and homelessness? What is the actual distribution of wealth? What are the prison and education systems really like? To answer such questions, the book’s 40 spreads translate the latest statistical data into innovative maps, graphics, illustrations, essays and statistics that explore (and explode) certain myths about Americans in the 21st century. The atlas is a joint project of Cynthia Enloe, Research Professor at Clark University and Joni Seager, Professor and Chair of Global Studies at Bentley University. Both women are considered pioneers in the feminist study of international relations, gender and militarization, geography and global environmental policy.

The book is produced by Myriad Editions in the UK, internationally acclaimed for its State of the World atlas series that maps today’s most important political, social and environmental concerns in a way that is accessible for all readers.

The Real State of America Atlas: Mapping the Myths and Truths of the United States, Cynthia Enloe and Joni Seager, Penguin (USA and Canada) & University of California Press (UK and all EU countries), $22

by S. Meyer de Stadelhofen