The Nine Nations of North America

Rating:
Summary: One of the most insightful books ever written about the USA
Review: Forget what you learned in any geography class you ever had. Forget what tourist brochures tell you about " their " part of the nation. And once you've forgotten that, read this book and learn what really constitutes North America both politically and sociologically. Joel Garreau has produced a masterwork that should be required reading for every citizen. Even if you think you know your part of the country, Mr. Garreau will provide an update to your knowledge that takes your from " knowing " to " understanding ". And without any apparent prejudice. Whether he is relating cities to areas or peoples to states, he gets it right and in an amazingly readable fashion. Is your company considering transferring you to Seattle? Read about Ecotopia. Do you fear that new position in Kansas City? Peruse the section on the " Breadbasket " and re-think the issue. Mr. Garreau had the presence of mind to realize that our country was a larger entity than 50 states and some off-shore islands. " The Nine Nations of North America " draws everything together and, for once, North America is at peace with itself. And, hopefully, its neighbors. On a personal note, I've given perhaps 600 copies of this book since it was published in 1980. Don't let that date deter you: It's as relevant and accurate now as then. Mr. Garreau loves North America and so will you. Just put yourself in his most competent hands and re-discover the greatness of our part of the planet.C

Rating:
Summary: great cultural overview to give friends in Europe/Asia etc
Review: He discusses 9 different regions of America, with a map showing the boundaries. He calls them New England, The Foundry, Dixie, The Islands (of Caribbean/Florida), MexAmerica, Breadbasket (midwest), Ecotopia (west coast), Empty Quarter, and Quebec. He shows how each has its own distinctive culture and economic climate. Published in 1981, but still rather a good read.

Rating:
Summary: A book that has not lost its relevance
Review: I write this review having read this book in the early 80's, and now trying to find it again to re-read. Although I only read it once, its premise has revisited me over and over again - the fact that our state, and yes, our national borders in North America are imaginary. I can say that from personal experience, what Joel Garreau wrote about the similarities of people and values within regions is not 100% accurate, but extremely close. Having come from Toronto and moving to suburban Detroit, I less culture shock had I made a similar move to Miami, or even Seattle or Vancouver. Places like Chicago and New York are far more familiar to me, being part of the "Foundry", as Garreau calls the north-central US and southern Ontario. I'm sure that many a sociologist may not agree with his conclusions, but they are observations made with the keen eye of a journalist. They are not bad ones, at that.

Rating:
Summary: A book that has not lost its relevance
Review: I write this review having read this book in the early 80's, and now trying to find it again to re-read. Although I only read it once, its premise has revisited me over and over again - the fact that our state, and yes, our national borders in North America are imaginary. I can say that from personal experience, what Joel Garreau wrote about the similarities of people and values within regions is not 100% accurate, but extremely close. Having come from Toronto and moving to suburban Detroit, I less culture shock had I made a similar move to Miami, or even Seattle or Vancouver. Places like Chicago and New York are far more familiar to me, being part of the "Foundry", as Garreau calls the north-central US and southern Ontario. I'm sure that many a sociologist may not agree with his conclusions, but they are observations made with the keen eye of a journalist. They are not bad ones, at that.

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating -- not nearly as dated as you might suspect
Review: Joel Garreau's Nine Nations of North America is still enjoyable, particularly because it is not nearly as dated as you might suspect. I was given it as a gift in 2001 and read it expecting Garreau's fieldwork to show me how people in North American regions used to talk. However, much of what Garreau heard and felt as he traveled accorded with things I'd heard and felt in my travels in the `90s and `00s. The only thing that struck me as (semi-)dated was Garreau's devotion of a significant portion of each chapter to how that "nation" was facing the energy crisis. Is such a concern really dated, though, given how the intervening years' explorations and exploitations more or less tabled the discussion for a future date?

As the holder of a B.A. in Geography, I winced at his choice of the word `nation' when clearly the better term is `region'. Nations are not defined by their interests and way of life, but rather an elusive mix of shared histories, cultures, and socio-political happenstances. However, Garreau's work serves to remind geographers that regions are indeed best defined by interests and way of life, despite much attention given to religious or institutional commonalties (i.e. "civilizations") recently.

What do I think of Garreau's boundaries? Let me answer this way: my brother-in-law recently remarked to me that in trying to correct misconceptions his fellow students at Harvard have about the Midwest, he'd explained that he felt Michigan was a lot more like Pennsylvania (typically considered a "Northeastern/Mid-Atlantic/East Coast" state) than it was like Kansas (often grouped with Michigan as a "Midwestern" state). I laughed and handed him Joel Garreau's Nine Nations of North America. That myriad others have made similar observations I do not doubt. This is the service of Garreau's work: a corrective to our customary understanding of how North America is broken up.

Do I buy into Garreau's boundaries, though? With some minor amendments, yes. I agree that Manhattan, the D.C. area, Alaska, and Hawaii are "aberrations" and would add Central Florida to that list, or perhaps move it into "The Islands", but it is clearly no longer part of "Dixie". A more minor quibble I have would be to shift the northern boundary of the Foundry into Lake Superior rather than splitting the U.P. with "The Breadbasket" (no way Copper Harbor or Marquette is a "Breadbasket" town). If I knew northern Wisconsin better, I would say Superior and Wausau are more likely Foundry towns than they are Breadbasket; that's my suspicion based on the fact that that area is woodsy, rugged, and pocked with mills and factories, and thus perhaps not as concerned by the fate of agribusiness as Kansas City or Minneapolis is.

One last and funny (but not "ha ha funny") thing is that Garreau, in trying to circumscribe New England, notes that there's significant French population along the northern tiers of Maine and New Brunswick, and if it were not for the absurdities of political borders, would put them in with Quebec. However, one thing that characterizes New England (and that perhaps he misses) is its history and culture of significant French influence, from Nova Scotia to Rhode Island.

Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating -- not nearly as dated as you might suspect
Review: Joel Garreau's Nine Nations of North America is still enjoyable, particularly because it is not nearly as dated as you might suspect. I was given it as a gift in 2001 and read it expecting Garreau's fieldwork to show me how people in North American regions used to talk. However, much of what Garreau heard and felt as he traveled accorded with things I'd heard and felt in my travels in the '90s and '00s. The only thing that struck me as (semi-)dated was Garreau's devotion of a significant portion of each chapter to how that "nation" was facing the energy crisis. Is such a concern really dated, though, given how the intervening years' explorations and exploitations more or less tabled the discussion for a future date?

As the holder of a B.A. in Geography, I winced at his choice of the word 'nation' when clearly the better term is 'region'. Nations are not defined by their interests and way of life, but rather an elusive mix of shared histories, cultures, and socio-political happenstances. However, Garreau's work serves to remind geographers that regions are indeed best defined by interests and way of life, despite much attention given to religious or institutional commonalties (i.e. "civilizations") recently.

What do I think of Garreau's boundaries? Let me answer this way: my brother-in-law recently remarked to me that in trying to correct misconceptions his fellow students at Harvard have about the Midwest, he'd explained that he felt Michigan was a lot more like Pennsylvania (typically considered a "Northeastern/Mid-Atlantic/East Coast" state) than it was like Kansas (often grouped with Michigan as a "Midwestern" state). I laughed and handed him Joel Garreau's Nine Nations of North America. That myriad others have made similar observations I do not doubt. This is the service of Garreau's work: a corrective to our customary understanding of how North America is broken up.

Do I buy into Garreau's boundaries, though? With some minor amendments, yes. I agree that Manhattan, the D.C. area, Alaska, and Hawaii are "aberrations" and would add Central Florida to that list, or perhaps move it into "The Islands", but it is clearly no longer part of "Dixie". A more minor quibble I have would be to shift the northern boundary of the Foundry into Lake Superior rather than splitting the U.P. with "The Breadbasket" (no way Copper Harbor or Marquette is a "Breadbasket" town). If I knew northern Wisconsin better, I would say Superior and Wausau are more likely Foundry towns than they are Breadbasket; that's my suspicion based on the fact that that area is woodsy, rugged, and pocked with mills and factories, and thus perhaps not as concerned by the fate of agribusiness as Kansas City or Minneapolis is.

One last and funny (but not "ha ha funny") thing is that Garreau, in trying to circumscribe New England, notes that there's significant French population along the northern tiers of Maine and New Brunswick, and if it were not for the absurdities of political borders, would put them in with Quebec. However, one thing that characterizes New England (and that perhaps he misses) is its history and culture of significant French influence, from Nova Scotia to Rhode Island.

Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: intriguing
Review: Messrs. Garreau are pretty spot-on in their analyses of the situation, I'd say. Unfortunately, as the most common criticism goes, their information is now quite out of date. I don't know how much effect a ... review might have, but is it too much to ask for the authors to re-research, and release an updated version?

Rating:
Summary: The only good thing is the introduction
Review: The only good thing about this book is the introduction. The rest of this book is old and outdated, the stats are from the late 70's, things have changed a lot since then. The general descriptions in the opening chapter still apply today, but not much else.

I recommend you just check this book out at the library instead of buying it.

Rating:
Summary: The book that changed my life
Review: This was the book that led me to my chosen career path. Garreau did a brillant job in entwining personal dialogues with stats and facts. The boundaries are well thought out. The most interesting parts of the book are those that deal with regions that lie partially outside the US (Quebec, Islands, Mexamerica, Ecotopia), but all sections have merit. Granted, having an updated version of this book would be nice, but that just gives us grad students something to inspire to. I would definitely recommend that the Aberrations chapter be read by all, as it perfectly demostrates the conflict each nation may inflict on others.

Rating:
Summary: The book that changed my life
Review: This was the book that led me to my chosen career path. Garreau did a brillant job in entwining personal dialogues with stats and facts. The boundaries are well thought out. The most interesting parts of the book are those that deal with regions that lie partially outside the US (Quebec, Islands, Mexamerica, Ecotopia), but all sections have merit. Granted, having an updated version of this book would be nice, but that just gives us grad students something to inspire to. I would definitely recommend that the Aberrations chapter be read by all, as it perfectly demostrates the conflict each nation may inflict on others.