Lone Star Nation: How Texas Will Transform America

by Richard Parker

To most Americans, Texas has been that love-it-or-hate it slice of the country that has sparked controversy, bred presidents, and fomented turmoil from the American Civil War to George W. Bush.  But that Texas is changing—and it will change America itself.


Richard Parker takes the reader on a tour across today's booming Texas, an evolving landscape that is densely urban, overwhelmingly Hispanic, exceedingly powerful in the global economy, and increasingly liberal.  This Texas will have to ensure upward mobility, reinvigorate democratic rights, and confront climate change—just to continue its historic economic boom.  This is not the Texas of George W. Bush or Rick Perry.


Instead, this is a Texas that will remake the American experience in the twenty-first century—as California did in the twentieth—with surprising economic, political, and social consequences.  Along the way, Parker analyzes the powerful, interviews the insightful, and tells the story of everyday people because, after all, one in ten Americans in this century will call Texas something else: Home.


 

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, Book Club, History

352 pages, Hardcover

First published October 15, 2014

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Richard Parker is an award-winning journalist who writes about political, economic, technological and social change. His work appears in the Op-Ed and Sunday Review sections of the New York Times, The Atlantic, Texas Monthly and the Columbia Journalism Review. A columnist for The Dallas Morning News, he lives in the Texas Hill Country outside Austin.

Reviews

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little bit of demographics. A little bit of history. Too much Austin. Parker has an interesting thesis, but not enough to back it up. His politics seem to get in the way as well. He lives in Austin and seems to assume that Austin is emblematic of the whole state. The people who choose to live in Austin may be representative, but he doesn't prive that. It's a bedrock assumption. It's very readable and parts are interesting, but it is closer to an extended opinion piece than a thorough review.

[Dorothy Marcic · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you think you know everything about Texas, read this book and find out you do not. Parker is a texan, a journalist, who covered the news in many places and came back to Texas. He writes about the demographics changes, including increasing numbers of hispanics, as well as hordes of people moving there from all over the country. He says that as California became the leaders of US trends decades ago, Texas is poised to take over that role. Read this book if you want to feel some hope.

[Charles Fried · Rating 4 out of 5]

Richard Parker has an interesting take on Texas with what I would consider a balanced point of view. I happen to agree with much of what he says. Based on nearly a quarter century living in the state, I can confirm many of his observations and conclusions. The book is very topical, and clearly will be dated in a few years, but at the moment the book is very relevant.

[john k. bisset · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ya gotta love Texas

Anyone with friends/relatives living in Texas will enjoy This book. A lIttle history, a little geography, a little demographics, a little politics, a n d a lot of Texas. If I'm around, l will re-read this in 20 years and see how Texas turned out .

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a native Texan, born and raised, I think it's pretty clear that I am inherently biased towards my state. I've seen both the wonderful characteristics of the places and people who thrive here, as well as the sheer depths of baselessness and stupidity perpetuated by some of our institutions and politicians. (to those who remember the 2012 election primaries, yes, many of us in Texas were pretty busy facepalming) It is paradoxically both a joy to live here and a deeply flawed terror in the making, all of which apparently makes Texas fascinating to people outside of Texas as well. Though oftentimes, this can lead to frustrating stereotypes, with Texas being the Deep South, deep red backwoods--for example, I remember not understanding Americans' shock when Houston elected Annise Parker, an open lesbian, as mayor in 2009 (or as Jon Stewart put it, "Hell hath frozen over"), or feeling extremely enraged at people saying that Texans deserved to die from Hurricane Harvey because of the 2016 election, despite the hurricane hitting mainly Houston, a city that voted a majority for Hillary Clinton. (and no, I don't think Trump supporters should die in a hurricane either--you're not in any right when you think that way) It continually frustrates me that despite Texas rising to prominence within the last century, so many people don't know the reality of it, the nuances behind the stereotypes, so I'm glad whenever someone takes a thoughtful dive into what the state actually is.

Richard Parker occupies a unique space within Texas--he was born and raised in El Paso, went to college in San Antonio, and after graduating zipped off to live and work in the East Coast, only returning to stay at the end of the twentieth century, right when things were really getting interesting. As both a native Texan and a member of what he calls the Sixth Wave of Migration to Texas (namely, non-Texans who come to Texas for work and end up staying), he is able to inhabit and properly discuss the various views and biases towards and against Texas, mixed as well with a plethora of facts, research, and history that dispel many myths about the Lone Star State. He is upfront and honest about both the good and the bad: like the subtitle says, Parker delves into the vast potential Texas has held and continues to hold for the progression of America, both in its economy and in its growing sociopolitical demographics. On the other hand, he isn't shy about bursting our potential egos by pointing out the flaws, from our racist history (including affecting our racist present) to current politics with head-in-the-sand management on topics from voting rights to global warming. Sometimes, it felt hollow to be reading this book in 2019, knowing the turnout of the state elections he was speculating about and the true characters of the people elected to office, and how much has not changed since 2014 in this state.

Whether you're a born-and-bred Texan, a person who's moved here from elsewhere (welcome!), or you really haven't cared before about Texas, give this book a shot. Even though 2014 feels like such a starkly different time and place from today, much of Parker's research and analysis holds up for what we should expect from the future--both of Texas and the country as a whole. I'm proud of many things and people within Texas, but much will need to change if we want to improve our state for future generations. Even if you never set foot south of the Sabine River or the Panhandle in your lifetime, know that we are all in this together.

[Andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lone Star Nation is an examination of the states history, demographics, politics, and future. Author Richard Parker is a journalist. His writing style at its best reflects this. Conversley, his writing style at its worst mirrors this as well. The book is divided into four parts. Part one provides a historic and demographic overview of Texas. Though he does not hesitate to call upon the ghosts of T.R. Ferenbach, Campbell, Dobie, and others. I could see this, but I would also say that I found reflections of D. W. Meinig's Imperial Texas. It was a good brief overview for those unfamiliar. In Part Two, the focus is more on the sociological consequences of the migratory waves that have come to Texas. While some my find this part too Austin/Hill country focused, I fond his observations, descriptions, and the tales of the every man vibrant. In Part 3 I was turned off by the perpetual and bombastic dogma of doom, due to both Republican policies and an environment on the precipice of disaster. In part 4, despite one doom and gloom chapter, he did resurrect my interest. His charm and wit returned and his final chapter serves as an excellent bon voyage to a fellow traveller.

So all in all, its a good book. If you like the issues he states in part 3 you will probably like it more than I did. He is a strong author and tries his best to make sense of a grand land of myth, truth, obtuseness, and paradox known only as Texas.

[Brooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

What Parker suggests might be true of Texas in 2016 didn't come to pass, but that doesn't mean it won't. I really enjoyed hearing about the history of what makes Texas Texas. I enjoyed learning a lot about a state I've only visited a few times and don't know much about. (Each time I visited I was on a very specific mission so didn't get to absorb a lot of the culture). The journalistic approach was phenomenal. It takes a solid amount of time to decide Parker's viewpoint as he lays out the history and current status/demographic information very explicitly before the reader gets a sense of the end he's seeking. (I'd be curious to see if other readers felt otherwise). It's concise and articulate, so even tho it's a touch dated, it's definitely worth the time invested.

[Ted Gurley · Rating 1 out of 5]

Misses the mark. Focuses on a Texas that i haven’t experienced in my 50+ years. Richard Parker, tells a story of ignored climate change, backwards politicians, and Austin weirdness. His thesis is that if the attitudes, politics and leadership don’t move more blue and liberal it will become a very undesirable place to live. I expected a more thoughtful and researched book from a fellow with Parker’s credentials.

[Alex O'Donnell · Rating 2 out of 5]

It reads like an extended article of the New York Times (in a bad way). It never explains its subtitle of how Texas will transform America. Rather it’s just him giving a brief modern history of Texas (specifically Austin). I’d avoid this book if you’re looking for anything more than a cursory glance at the state.

[Richard Edwards · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author lets his Austin bias cloud an interesting and important topic. As a fifth generation Texan, I can attest to numerous errors in this book. Texas is quite likely to be a major influence on the United States and the world, but we are not nearly as narrow as the author describes us. Texans frequently are more pragmatic and independent.

[Deanna Combs · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a love letter to Texas.

Texans, old and new, will enjoy this beautiful book. It’s clear the author loves Texas enough to be painfully honest about the state’s potential future. I highly recommend this read.

[Christopher Mcdermott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative book on Texas

A book that covers Texas history, its politics and also its future. Well written and very informative to the reader.

[Steve · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was excited to read this book as I have become interested in Texas Politics through work and I live in the epicenter of the "Texas Miracle": Austin, Texas. I see evidence of the so-called miracle every day in the throngs of new people arriving in my town from far and wide.
Parker's book is informative enough about the history of Texas and how it has grown to become the Place To Be for the 21st Century, and has exerted it's influence over US politics (ala New York in the late 1800's and California in the 20th Century). Both factors are very present in today's current events. However, Parker lays out his historical sequence by discussing the "Six Migrations" of people to Texas. While this is a clever idea, especially considering the latter migrations (like during the various oil booms, or even the migration in the first part of the 19th Century which brought the likes of Sam Houston and Davy Crockett to Texas), he begins his timeline with the original migration of prehistoric peoples to North America via the Bering Strait land bridge.

Come ooooooooon.

Anyway, Parker's insights into the history of how Texas turned Red in the latter half of the 20th Century, and how (in his opinion) it will turn back Blue by the middle of this century (if the rich white folks don't wall off all the good places to live - literally. Read until the end) are the reason to read this book. Those parts are fascinating and integral to understanding this crazy state.

However, what holds this book back are the unacceptable amount of typographical errors and just plain odd phrases that seem to out of sequence. I understand that in the digital age, and the rush to make a publisher's deadline before a hot topic flames out, that one can whip a manuscript through spellcheck and call it good. I've tried to stop getting irritated at typos in books I read published after about 2003. But the shear amount of them in this text is phenomenal. I'm stunned that someone didn't sit down and just read this through one time with a pen in hand, just to do a cursory sweep. It is obvious this didn't happen - at one point the guy misspells Ronald Reagan's last name. A flaw like that is unacceptable in a respectable work of non-fiction, in my book. There are also numerous instances where Parker repeats a phrase over again, sometimes right in the next paragraph, which seems to hint at a carelessness I hate to see with a write with his background handing such a juicy and timely topic. It is for this reason that I gave the book two stars instead of three.

Read this book for the info and the ideas it presents - and just grit your teeth to get through the mistakes.

[Dennis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Started reading March 2. It was a good book which acquainted me with a quick history of Texas and provided analytical view of where trends of immigration, population growth, conflict, politics and natural resources has taken Texas. Not a book for everyone but it worked well for my purposes.

I checked out the E-book from my local public library system. Very helpful to have it while traveling.

[Kayle · Rating 3 out of 5]

As someone who isn't from Texas, but got there as soon as I could, I wanted to love this book, and didn't. It's a passable primer, but tries to explain or show too much. Better organization would have been appreciated (i.e. either a chronological exploration or geographically focused on each of the major cities in the triangle he so often references). I wish the author had blended qualitative and quantitative data as well. The book is also repetitive at times which is unfortunate.

With all its flaws, it's still worth a read to understand the importance of Texas' social and political changes and how they might mirror the country at large for better or worse. Parker's book reads as a journal entry at times and ultimately a love letter to the Lone Star State.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's an awful lot of Texas history, which was interesting to me right now, but it might be too much for a lot of people. On the other hand, the set up of the great migrations over time is important and relative. I guess some of the more recent history seems pretty detailed.

But the premise is a good one: Americans have choices about how we respond to the trends and challenges ahead of us. He does a good job of taking the politics out of it and dealing with facts. We do get to see the sham of what politicians have done recently.

[Yves · Rating 1 out of 5]

I mistakenly bought this ebook instead of "Lone Star America: How Texas can save our country", confused that I was by their similar titles. What a disappointment! Nowhere in his book does the author support the claim of his catchy title . He definitely failed in convincing me with his only weak, debatable, argument that with a younger and increasing Latino population, a blue Texas would transform America. Beats me...

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting enough that I wanted to give it a higher rating. I did not because the number of typos, repeated sentences, and restated sentences that are clearly a mistake show a carelessness that causes me to question if the presentation of facts that back up the premise are equally as careless. I am baffled that a minimal one-time proof reading of this book did not happen before publishing.