Written by sociologist Arlie Russell Hochschild, Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right examines the viewpoint of Tea Party Movement (a movement within the Republican Party which advocates for lower overall government spending, reduced taxes, and a reduction in the national debt) supporters in Louisiana. For Hochschild, her journey to Louisiana from her very liberal hometown in Berkeley, California was not only a unique one, but a deeply informative one. She quickly forms a bond and finds common ground with those who she likely never would have had she not gone on her trip -- she feels for their predicaments, their situations, and some of the struggles in their lives.
At release, Strangers in Their Own Land received almost universally positive reviews. Ralph Benko of Forbes, for example, called the book "important" and a "delight" and said that "Strangers in Their Own Land is by far the best book by an outsider to the Tea Party I have ever encountered." The New York Times also loved the book, saying that it should be looked to help "understand [President] Trump's Win." The book was also a National Book Award Finalist.
