Chasing the Red, White, and Blue: A Journey in Tocqueville's Footsteps Through Contemporary America

by David Cohen

Using Democracy in America as his model, acclaimed British and South African journalist David Cohen retraces Alexis de Tocqueville's journey around the country to observe how the balance between the rich and the poor has changed over the past 150 years. Traveling from New York to the Ohio River Valley, the deep South, California, and finally to Washington, D.C., Cohen captures an America where inequality is balanced by unquenchable hope.

Genres: Politics, School, Nonfiction

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Librarian Note: There are more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Becky Thurber · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a "remake" of Tocqueville's Democracy in America. And it really is so good. It's non-fiction, so not action-packed, but the narrator is really funny.

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the book I read that really got me reading on America. It's a fascinating journey through America in the footsteps of Alexis de Touqville, a supremely sharp young Frenchman from the 1700s. His quest was to find out what it was this new country was doing and what kind of society were they creating. What was this grand new thing called Democracy?

Cohen, a South African living in London, tries to assess if the USA is still on track, and if not, then where have they slipped off track.

I particularly enjoy his investigation into George W Bush's doctrine of Compassionate Conservatism, which held that looking after the poor was the job of the church. Cohen devastatingly exposes just how little of a fuck most churches in America give about the poor, and actually confronts one of these self-serving pastors from one of those mega-churches with "the maths" that just don't add up. That bit made me chuckle.

Well worth a read for anyone interested in where the USA has come from and where it going.

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 1999 British writer David Cohen recreated the 1831 journey of Alexis de Tocqueville. In his journey, de Tocqueville described America as a place of unparalleled equality, social mobility, and compassion toward the less fortunate. Cohen interviewed many and traveled widely to see if those observations still held true. They don’t. America, he found, is a land of dramatic inequality, the gap between the haves and have-nots is not narrowing, but actually widening, the playing field is anything but level, and the concerns of the poor struggle to make it onto the national agenda. Cohen writes well and makes many important observations. This is truly an eye-opening book and deserves a wide audience.

[Jonah Wail · Rating 4 out of 5]

David Cohen has a great journalistic tone that discovers the inequality and widening gap between the haves and have nots in America.

[Adil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chasing the Red, White, and Blue
David Cohen
Picador
292pgs
03122651543

"Chasing the Red,White, and Blue" is an unbelievable and almost unrealistic book that investigates the unbalance of rich and poor in our country and even our city. This book is written by a foreigner named David Cohen, so it's unbiased and exposes the truth.

When I read this book, it told me things I already know like how New York City is changing in to a city of the rich and how the poor and middle class are getting kicked out. It also told me things that I didn't know like how New York City (mainly Manhatthan) was a city of the middle class and how everything was shared evenly. This book exposed how ruthless the upper class can be and how they live in frotune while the rest of us are scrambling to keep our jobs and homes.

I like how this book shows the poor people's side of the story and the rich people's side. It also shows how most f the ordinary middle class have moved to New Jersey and the suburbs.
David Cohen interviews a diverse amount of people and asks them about how they feel about America's progress. Because of all his interviews,

I have realized there are four types of people in America:people looking for work (immigrants and US citizens),people wihout much faith in our country,sucessful people who enjoy their earnings, and the majority of people who hope for the better of this country.

I like how this book reveals how no matter where you're from or how much you make, everyone in this country wants to make big money and fufill the American dream. If only that were true and not just a mirage...

[Ricks Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent analysis of the current state of the American Dream. Coen raises many questions that challenge the stereotypical views that middle and upper class Americans hold towards those who are impoverished. Coen does this by using intriguing statistics, demographics, and history to look at Alexis de Toquevilles views of the American interpretation of self-interest and its role in American society. This book should be read by any American who wishes contribute to the society in which they live.

[Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was expecting this to be a little more fun travel stories from quirky places in the US, instead it was a examination of social and economic conditions in the US. Overall, this book made me think, but also made me sad.

[Megan M · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book during the summer before my 10th grade year for AP U.S. History and was surprised at how much I actually enjoyed the book. It was an interesting read and I really liked the idea behind it. It could get slow at points but I would recommend it.

[Whitney · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very real look into the history of the American Dream. Most people will be able to relate to this on many levels.

[Robyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating insight into post 9/11 American society...

[Amanda Patterson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this because I had to.

Not my kind of book.

[Conrad]

Really, really good. A modern "Democracy in America."

[Quinn · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had to read this for school and it's horrible 10/10 do not recommend.

[Mike Maughan]

A modern exploration of Tocqueville through the lens of modern day America ... what we've kept and what we've lost ...

Read in Provo, UT. Recommended by Neil York