Prophetic City: Houston on the Cusp of a Changing America

by Stephen L. Klineberg

Sociologist Stephen Klineberg presents fascinating and groundbreaking research that shows how the city of Houston has emerged as a microcosm for America’s future—based on an unprecedented thirty-eight-year study of its changing economic, demographic, and cultural landscapes.

Houston, Texas, long thought of as a traditionally blue-collar black/white southern city, has transformed into one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse metro areas in the nation, surpassing even New York by some measures.

With a diversifying economy and large numbers of both highly-skilled technical jobs in engineering and medicine and low-skilled minimum-wage jobs in construction, restaurant work, and personal services, Houston has become a magnet for the new divergent streams of immigration that are transforming America in the 21st century. And thanks to an annual systematic survey conducted over the past thirty-eight years, the ongoing changes in attitudes, beliefs, and life experiences have been measured and studied, creating a compelling data-driven map of the challenges and opportunities that are facing Houston and the rest of the country.

In Prophetic City, we’ll meet some of the new Americans, including a family who moved to Houston from Mexico in the early 1980s and is still trying to find work that pays more than poverty wages. There’s a young man born to highly-educated Indian parents in an affluent Houston suburb who grows up to become a doctor in the world’s largest medical complex, as well as a white man who struggles with being prematurely pushed out of the workforce when his company downsizes.

This timely and groundbreaking book tracks the progress of an American city like never before. Houston is at the center of the rapid changes that have redefined the nature of American society itself in the new century. Houston is where, for better or worse, we can see the American future emerging.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Politics, Audiobook, Urbanism, Urban Planning, Travel

336 pages, Hardcover

Published June 2, 2020

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love how much Klineberg loves Houston, and his sociological interviews and studies do a good job at explaining the evolution of Houston from the oil boom town of yesteryear into the global, diverse city of today. I have a soft spot for these types of books (especially about Texas/Houston) and this one fits in nicely with Lawrence Wright’s God Save Texas.

In the end though, a lot of the data becomes repetitive—you will literally come across the exact same data point in 4 different chapters—and Klineberg’s rose-colored glasses tend to overlook some glaring issues with the city that perhaps another demographer or even regular citizen would have been able to point out. For example, he talks about how segregated Houston is, but never seems interested in explaining how that happened, he just points it out and then goes into some of his survey research to discuss education or jobs. Recommended to those interested in the subject, but the lack of nuance and critical examination lessened my enjoyment. 3/5

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must-read for native Houstonians, newly arrived Houstonians and individuals generally interested in what planning for a multicultural future could look like. The heart of this book is an extensive study of Houstonians that Dr. Klineberg has conducted over the last 30+ years on the attitudes of Houstonians (which may or may not be reflected in electoral decisions or policy making in the city). Over time, Houstonians appear to have become more tolerant, a bit more socially liberal, albeit highly segregated and ambivalent.

This book does highlight the many challenges that Houstonians highlight as significant - education quality, flooding, traffic, crime, racism, etc. It does a great job of generally disaggregating the data across race (though I wonder, given how rich each racial group is in Houston, if breaking it down to ethnicities is more worthwhile). It provides some solutions (mostly based on education), but is written in a "call to action" energetic kind of way that leaves the reader wondering what they can do.

As a liberal leaning person, there is a liberal bias to the book -- I don't have an issue with it at all, especially since it is rooted in the survey results themselves. However, very few books are written exclusively about Houston, so this is a must-read for anyone regardless of political affiliation. At the end of the day, it is a wonderful historical account of where Houston was and where it could be. It's also cool to map out the names that appear all over the city and how they influenced the city in its early days -- Jesse Jones, Mary Gibbs, the Allen Brothers, etc.

[Kendall Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting history, but quickly turned into a weird, sloppy, and biased lament about why Houstonians are not as lefty as the author would like. The author is at times shockingly condescending to those he disagrees with.

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a must read for anyone wanting to learn about Houston. Dr. Klineberg has been conducting a survey every year for 38 years and this book synthesizes the key learnings of the survey. Throughout the book Klineberg includes interviews with city leaders and creates an accurate picture of what makes Houston an amazing city. Houston’s diversity is unique and I feel incredibly fortunate to call Houston home.

Klineberg also comes to the conclusion that improving education is absolutely critical. I hope that readers will heed Klineberg’s call to action and get involved with helping children of color receive an outstanding education to prepare our city for a great future.

[Alex Faison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting theory - demographics of Houston are the US’s demographics on fast-forward. Gave background to Houston’s different populations, industries, city design - listed a bunch of facts and a few stories - not a lot of flow. I was thrown off by some thinly-veiled elitism from the author (transplant from affluent northeast, holier-than-thou vibes)?? Maybe I would’ve enjoyed it more from the pov of a native Houstonian… or at least someone a bit more grounded

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

There’s nothing like a nice summer read filled with graphs and data! I was so proud of myself for being so interested in this book, but it is fascinating. Sociologist Stephen Klineberg and the Kinder Institute at Rice University have been collecting data from Houstonians for almost 40 years, so there is a massive amount of information about changing demographics and attitudes in Houston. The book is a history of Houston, a deep look at the data from the 38 years of surveys, and what that all means both for current residents and the country.

The main theme of the book is that the way Houston is now, demographically, with a fairly even mix of white/black/Hispanic/Asian, is the way the whole country will be in the next 25-35 years, and that Houston is America on demographic fast-forward. “All Houston-area residents are now minorities; all are being called upon to build something that has never existed before in human history: a truly successful, inclusive, equitable, and united multiethnic society, made up of nearly all the ethnicities and all the religions of the world, gathered together in this one remarkable place.” There is so much interesting information in the book and having lived my entire adult life in the greater Houston area, I found it all accurate to my experience. It recognizes the good of Houston that makes people who live here love it.

I heard Stephen Klineberg speak a few years ago and still think about it all the time; it was equally delightful to read his book. He’s inherently hopeful and optimistic about Houston. There is a real sense that we have something amazing, people of all different backgrounds who can all bring our best to create a new kind of society. There’s no glossing over things; we have to fix education and energy, and there’s the huge problem of segregation by class/income. But! There is an underlying hope.

Plus I have this useful knowledge, for the imagined future political discussions I’m always mentally preparing for:

“No matter how many undocumented immigrants are deported, no matter how high a wall you try to build, and even if immigration comes to a complete halt and the nation slams its doors on all refugees seeking asylum, the actuarial tables alone make it clear that no conceivable force is going to stop this city, state, or nation from becoming more Latino, more Asian, more African American, and less Anglo as the twenty-first century unfolds. The demographic transition is a done deal.”

It’s up to us to figure out how to get along and seek justice for all; the book is a good way to get inspired about it.

[Maliya Ellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learned a lot about H town from this book, and it sparked many thoughts on urbanism. The concept of cohort succession was a real revelation — most social views that change over time are a result of younger generations taking up more of the population, not of people actually changing their minds. Interesting and unfortunate that people are stuck in their ways, but also heartening that sea change on topics like immigration and diversity seems inevitable. Cool that Houston is so diverse as measured by entropy index but not cool that it’s one of the most economically segregated cities in the country. I am so curious about whether lower birth rates and smaller families will lessen demand for suburban sprawl and create political will for denser urbanism even in Houston. Super concerned about Houston’s terrible education system. Honestly rooting for Houston to become a truly global city post peak oil, but uphill battle for sure. Surprised myself with how much I enjoyed this dryish academic book anchored by a longitudinal sociology study! That said, prose was mostly utilitarian and the journalist in me chafed at the crazy long block quotes.

[Cathi Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since 1982 Klineberg has surveyed Houston residents on a wide variety of issues which provides a longitudinal look at how attitudes have changed. He gives a nice quick overview of Houston history. After reading this you will have a much better understanding of what the country’s 4th largest city (and the urban area exceeds the size of Massachusetts) is all about. But...it seems a little too optimistic to this recent houstonian. Walk ability and transit and good schools and clean air and protection from flooding seem pretty far off still. It isn’t enough to want it. You have to envision it plan it and pay for it. But...Lina Hidalgo has done a remarkable job so far. Her efforts to improve the voting system and willingness to think outside the box give me hope. Go Lina!

[Kyle Magin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really solid modern history of Houston. It charts the feelings and attitudes about the city from normal people through a 40-year survey from Rice. I like that sort of ground-level detail because it focuses on the people instead of the halls of power. The narrative can be a little jumpy and some of Houston's older history is a mile wide and an inch deep-- but that's sort of necessary or this would have been 3x as long.

[Mike Horne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perhaps it is unfair to approach a book with such high expectations. I wanted a book that drilled into the history, the people, the change in Houston. I found this to skip across the surface with a dragonfly touch down here and an interview there. I did not learn much. Ten really good articles from Texas Monthly could have been more instructive.

[Audrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Compelling thesis and interesting info, but lacked organization. Klineberg indulges in a lot of not-quite-relevant rabbit trails, and I wish the book as a whole was a bit more cohesive.

[Connor Reaux · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this book for a gay Houston book club. I thought the narrator did a fantastic job and I enjoyed listening to him. I loved learning about Houston’s history and hearing about the survey results. The author came across professional, passionate, and empathetic. I have historically not paid much attention to city politics/history, something I’m working to improve, but out of all the major US cities I’ve lived in, I’m proud to say that Houston is the one I’ve learned the most about.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential reading for anyone living or working in Houston.

[Jonathan David · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was one I was very excited to read, but ended up being very disappointed with. I apologize in advance for the length of this review, but these are the kind of books that really bother me. It’s billed as a book “based on a thirty-eight year study of its [Houston’s] economic, demographic and cultural landscapes.” Instead this book is instead a political diatribe couched in the idea that it’s an impartial study or work of science. As someone from the center, who is more of a numbers and statistics person, I find this slight of hand a bit offensive.

This book very much leans to the left. Once again I find myself trying to dissect a political book from the center, for those who are more interested in facts than rhetoric. It’s pretty hard with this one, but I will try my best...

It begins with a brief history of the City of Houston, and its founding. The history of the city itself is very spot on, though even here little credit is given to the mentality of the people and instead is given to government help. The city is portrayed as immoral one minute, but then the morality of those moving to Houston from other parts of the country (ie. Ken Lay) is questioned. It’s as if the actual history of the city is fighting with the author’s narrative.

Though, it’s after the city’s history that the book becomes more and more an opinion piece. Often the author says things like the facts or statistics are “real and indisputable,” however those facts or statistics are never presented. They are obviously “indisputable” when the statistics or sources are not presented! It’s impossible to verify the statistics. The moments that statistics are present are when they back up the author’s premise. Breakdowns of the stats are not given when they could contradict the author’s point of view.

The author’s biases are on full display throughout the book. At one point the author laments to an interviewee “lack of progress on Social Justice issues.” While this may be a logical complaint, it seems like it would be better made by the interviewee rather than the interviewer. At another point the author gloats that the “closed minded church based socially conservative religiosity” is diminishing. At another point describing a volunteer who helped Hurricane Katrina refugees the author calls her, “as right wing crazy as they come.” These seem like unnecessary commentary.

Very few center or right leaning politicians or businesspersons are interviewed. Often when they are, such as former Republican Harris County Judge Ed Emmett, the author asks why they didn’t do more to solve the problems they may talk about. The same is never asked of the former Democratic politicians. While Democrat Bob Lanier is portrayed negatively, none of the other mayors are really questioned. The corruption under current mayor Sylvester Turner is never mentioned, despite it being a big enough issue that he faced a general election challenge from Dwight Boykins in his own party. When he does quote someone from the right side of the political spectrum the come from the very very far right.

When talking about Houston floods, the other makes some good points. Though here again it would seem that facts and numbers are not included.

The author’s distain for the oil industry is readily apparent. Again the author ignores facts and figures in place of personal opinion. The Industry that built the city of Houston is treated more as a detriment than an advantage.

The statement is made that the oil companies do not do enough to benefit the city’s many charities and activities. This is an odd statement considering they sponsor the Houston Zoo (ConocoPhillips, P66, Marathon, Lyondell, Centpoint Energy, TXU Energy), the Houston Museum of Natural Science (Chevron, Exxon, ConocoPhillips, Shell, Oxy, Transocean, Marathon, and more), the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts (Enbridge, CenterPoint, Schlumberger, etc) and Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo (BP, NRG, Hess, Shell, P66 and more) among others. Even the author’s own surveys are sponsored by Richard Kinder’s foundation, who was an Enron executive and founder of Kinder-Morgan. This makes the author’s statements on this subject a bit disingenuous.

Honestly, this review would need to be a book of its own to point out all the skewed information presented in this book. For those looking for someone to be an echo chamber for their political beliefs will find this book to be a good read. However, anyone who is looking for an honest fact filled book on a metro area that is the size of Massachusetts will find this book doesn’t fit the bill. While it’s still worth reading, this book is not what it purports to be. Overall, giving it 2 stars seems generous, but 1 star would be too harsh.

[Aurelie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've recently become interested in learning more about Houston, TX and this is one of the books I bought on the topic. The author, a Professor Emeritus of Sociology at Rice University with degrees from Haverford College, the University of Paris and Harvard University, ran a survey for about 35 years about the attitudes of Houstonians and residents of the Houston metropolitan region on various topics as the founding director of the Kinder Institute for Urban Research. A central theme in his book is that what is happening in Houston right now foreshadows what will happen in the United States in a few years because Houston is much more diverse than other big cities. 

I have to say, the parts where he enumerates statistics were the least interesting for me, and the parts where he shares actual stories and quotes from Houstonians were page-turners. Having gone through quite a few volumes of turgid prose written by academics who thought they could write for the general public, this book is better than average, and it turns out from the title (not cover) page and the acknowledgements that this is due to one Amy Hertz, who helped write the book. (When I found out about her, I thought it was wrong not to include her name on the cover page via a simple "with Amy Hertz", as for the title page. That does not shed Stephen Klineberg in a good light to have relegated her to the insides of the book. Having read the pages where he spouts off the statistics, I am very convinced that she played a critical role in making the book interesting for the general public.)

So what do I like about this book? First, I like Texas, and I like books that focus on parts of the United States that aren't on either coast. Also, I like cities with top universities: Rice University in Houston, Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Northwestern University outside Chicago. The elites of the nation are no longer educated solely in Massachusetts and California, and Texas is fascinating because of the large number of Democrats and Republicans thrown together for better or for worse. Houston also has a thriving economy that isn't limited to oil and gas but also included health care and more. After going through Hurricane Harvey, it also has more stories of resilience than many. And then simply I always love learning more about my adopted state of Texas. 

So this is why I picked up the book, but here are a couple of passages that caught my attention and made me like the book even more, once I started reading it. I really got into the book at Chapter 6, "The moral core of a paradoxical city," because of its emphasis on Hurricane Harvey. Then Chapter 7 "The black/white divide" was another home run, especially the story where an African American police sergeant shared the story of his son (in his early twenties) moving to a new neighborhood and getting pulled over for no obvious violation. "His hands were shaking so badly he couldn't get out his license and registration" (p.145) and because he had some obvious PTSD symptoms from the encounter, his dad "brought him to the local precinct of his son's new neighborhood and introduced him around." The young man knew all the cops in his dad's neighborhood but none of them in the area he had just moved in. "He was so scared that he asked his dad to go with him to his new local precinct and introduce him around." 

I also loved the story of Derrick Ngo, who was admitted to Harvard after being homeless thanks to his stint at the Energy Institute High School, and the insights of developer Stan Marek and BakerRipley then-CEO Angela Blanchard.   

Some quotes from the book:

"Houston is one of the most vibrant, rapidly growing metropolitan areas in America, with a vigorous entrepreneurial economy, thriving primarily because of the tremendous energy, vitality and commitment to hard work on the part of immigrants who have been pouring into this city from Africa, Latin America, Asia and the Caribbean." (p.192)
"We found out that teachers were going too easy on the kids, giving them lower than grade-level textbooks." (p.266) The pressure of going too easy on students is something I can relate to. 
A May 2015 article in the Houston Chronicle "described the "Texas myth" as a place that "relished the death penalty, that's obsessed with guns, that's anti-education, anti-science, anti-immigrant, and anti-environment." But the author's surveys "show clearly that the general public has been expressing more progressive views over the years, and as in the state's other major cities (Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, El Paso), area residents are now more firmly affiliated with the Democratic Party." (p.268)
"[Houston] is low, flat, and full of bayous; it rains a lot, and we will always flood. Solving for flooding is the window, because it will take us into the densification we need, building upward instead of out over the floodplains and in the flood zones." (p.278)
"Cities need to form partnerships with their "city accelerators", organizations with the cutting-edge knowledge and critical resources that come out of the nation's most prestigious universities, think tanks, and philanthropic organizations." (p.280)
"Still, I worry about the city's mounting problems, especially the burgeoning gap in access to quality education; the growing pockets of concentrated poverty, homelessness, and despair; the persistence of environmental racism; the region's increasing vulnerability to flooding; its position as a hub for human trafficking." (p.282)
"In The New Localism, Brookings Institution fellows Bruce Katz and Jeremy Nowak posit that the best opportunities for shaping the future of America will come from its major cities." (p.283)
"Houston's economic future will depend on its ability to harness the new energy technologies, to become the third coast (along with Boston and San Francisco) for the life sciences, supported by the world's largest conglomeration of medical institutions, and to develop a full-fledged entrepreneurial ecosystem, stimulating new ideas and new wealth in the high-tech sectors of today's economy." (p.284)
Rating: four stars out of five.

[Marie Polega · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not sure if I would have found this book as interesting if I didn't live in Houston or if I didn't have a minor in Sociology, but since both of those things apply to me, this book was a good fit for me. I found most of the history and changing trends fascinating, although some of it was a bit repetitive. The major thing I expected but found lacking was how the trends in Houston relate to the rest of the country.

[Lupe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my goodness. This is such a superb book. It answered many questions I have had about Houston and Houstonians. I have recommended it to so many people. My only suggestion: many of the readers in the audience may find the graphs difficult to read - the colors/font size were challenging for me. Overall, a really well-done study of Houston. Thank you!

[Natalie (booknerdalie) · Rating 5 out of 5]

An honest book about where Houston’s been and where it’s going. Loved all the different voices included... the people of Houston are what makes the city what it is!

[Umar Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A ton of great information in this book. The author rightly points that Houston is a pioneering city, as is the state of Texas as a whole, in leading America to our present place: widespread outsourcing, independent contracting, dependence on cheap labor, few laws that help the poor, a distrust of organized labor, environmental racism, government existing soley to serve the interests of business and the wealthy, educational inequality, massive investment in law enforcement and incarceration, and a basic anti intellectualism. When I look at Houston, Dallas, and other Texas metros all I see are giant sprawling cities void of pedestrians and full of strip malls, chain stores, lunatic drivers, ridiculously wide roads, and people who talk so slow they sound like they are dealing with severe CTE. Yet, as the author points out, there is more to Houston.

While it's true that Houston has unfairly used annexation policies to harm the poor and dirt roads with open sewage exist outside of the city and that the wealth and educational gap is probably the widest in the nation there is more to the story. Houston has become possibly the most diverse city in America and home to numerous thriving immigrant neighborhoods. The demographics of Houston today, where whites are a minority, are the demographics of America in 25-30 years. Despite Houston being void of anything appealing in terms of nature and architecturally hideous the city has managed to attract people interested in business and making money for generations. This has created a vibrant culinary, nightlife, arts and music scene in Houston and if the author is correct a gradual urbanization in the car dependant city. There is a sense from people, as the author writes in detail, that Houston is a place of opportunity and optimism exists. The growth in population fueled by Hispanic, Asian, and African immigrants had led to population growth while Rust Belt cities who've been less successful at attracting immigrants haven't done well and the future isn't looking bright. However, as the book details, everything is irrelevant if Houston can't solve it's core climate issues. Klineberg points out that while older white Houstonians have been largely taken aback by the demographic shifts of the formerly white-majority city, that younger generations of whites have largely embraced the diversity. This embrace is possibly due to political, financial, and institutional power being overwhelmingly in white hands and this could be true in America as a whole even after national demographics look like those of Houston.

A couple of interesting factoids is that Houston has the second-highest rate of volunteerism and philanthropy in America (following Pittsburgh) and this spirit was on display after Hurricane Katrina and the floods in recent years. While Houston, and its insane lack of zoning laws, had made it a poster child for American narcissism and individualism, a real community spirit exists and a spirit of giving. My guess is that spirit exists due to the high-rate of devoutly religious residents of Houston (protestants, Catholics, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and others). This is one of the positive results of a faithful population while a politicized fundamentalism is a downside. As Klineberg notes thought that while the white Christian Evangelical Right is a powerful force in Texas politics and in Houston the influence is on the decline. In short, despite being in the heart of the Bible Belt, Houstonians are trending liberal on social issues.

I didn't give this book a 5 because it was repetitive at times and we could've used some more anecdotal stories.

[Andrew Chandler · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Rice University sociologist uses his 40 year long demographic survey of Houston to explain how the city is a snapshot of The United States in 20 years in demographic terms. The book is part history of Houston, part breakdown of the demographic data, and part assessment of how is Houston is handling the challenges of a modern city comprised of a minority of well-educated Anglos and a majority of African Americans, latinos, asians, and imigrants from other regions of the world.

Perhaps the best part is the history of the development of Houston. Klineberg, who is a transplant from New York and calls Houston his home, pulls no punches in telling how Houston grew by promoting profits over every thing else. The comprehensive demographic surveys show how not only have Houstons racial profile has changed over the years, but also the mindset of the people (for instance, the mindset that you will succeed if you work hard is much more common than in other large cities)

However, some of the demographic data is not suprising (Houstonians are tired of the traffic and pollution, white people think there is less racism than do minorities, etc). In fact, the most interesting data is how the mindset and societal progress of the latino, american american, and asian groups have differed, and Klineberg's analysis of these incidents sometimes seemed cursory. For instance, when Klineberg notes that african american are much higher than those seen from immigrating latino women, many who come from small towns with no medical care, his statement that its because one must be healthy and determined to immigrate while pregnant. Such an interesting thing to investigate, and he offers nothing else to lend evidence to what seems like a wild guess. Likewise, the data showing that latino immigrants do not experience the effects of racism that hinders progress until the 3rd generation is a very interesting discovery that I wish he talked more about.

There is also areas where I began to feel that the author was reading too much into his surveys. Sometimes he spend too much time identifiying the % difference in opinion between different ethnic groups on a question, without every pointing out that, whether 35% or 65% agree to a statment, there is still much disagreement within demographic groups on some questions. The author also seems to trust his survey results as 100% accurate, without asking quether some people may feel compelled to respond one way or another in an interview. For instance, I would expect people to say that education is important to them when an survey by a university is asking important questions about education. Maybe there was some rigor in these surveys, but this was not obvious.

I liked the information in the book, if not necessarily convinced of all of the authors conclusions. Overall a very good book for people wanting to understand Houston, or the problems large cities face today.

[Kaitlin Barnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Avid Reader Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited to read this book for two reasons. First, I am a native Houstonian and lived there for 27 years. Second, I attended Rice, where Dr. Klineberg teaches, and the course he taught about Houston was one of my all-time favorites.

I really enjoyed this book. It mixes findings from his famous Houston Area Survey with interviews with Houstonians and anecdotes about life in Houston. The first section of the book is a crash course in Houston history and then the book moves into different issues covered by the survey: education, race relations, housing, etc. There are times where the data becomes a bit unwieldy to read, but I think that's to be expected in this type of book, and it never became boring or unreadable. I thought I knew everything there was to know about Houston, but I definitely learned a lot from this book. I also loved the constant emphasis on the importance of education in Houston. Dr. Klineberg makes the case that if Houston doesn't get its act together with its public schools, the city will never live up to its potential and will likely slide backwards. (Of course, much of this is because of the Texas legislature's refusal to adequately fund public education, but that's another issue for another day.)

Overall, I recommend this book to anyone who's interested in Houston or Texas. Houston: It's Worth It!

[Chris Dunn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sociologist Stephen Klineburg expands upon his annual survey findings — interviewing notable and ordinary Houstonians; examining the past, present, and future of the U.S.'s most diverse city; and reflecting on the ways Houston defies some expectations while fulfilling others.

As progressive, educated, and earnest as Klineburg is, and as varied as his interview subjects are, there are some inherent limitations to his analysis as available from his perspective. I would be very curious to read how BIPOC sociologists would approach the same survey results, but with the resources and opportunities to select their own interviews and arrive at their own conclusions. In particular, Klineburg identifies equitable quality education as the crucial determining condition for a healthy and more just society — but this minimizes or altogether ignores other social and political constructs that his surveys do cover.

This book was published in 2020 before the pandemic, the murder of George Floyd, and the rise of anti-Asian violence. I would also be curious if a second edition might follow to examine the impacts of each of those in Houston.

[John M · Rating 3 out of 5]

I chose to read this book because I live in the Houston-area. I was really drawn by the premise that Houston apparently foretells the future of America. That is, what happens in Houston is what will happen in America in the coming years. Well, the author made one serious attempt at backing up that premise and a couple of lame, half-hearted attempts that fell a little short, and then, he got enamored with the sound of his own voice. It felt like he completely forgot his thesis statement and just wanted to wander through the reams and reams of numbers and statistics he has generated over 38 years of studying the city of Houston. I would have rated this book lower, but the author did a good job of sharing some of the history of Houston. Being a transplant to the region, I did not know much about the history of this place. So, I appreciated that information. However, in the end, I cannot really recommend this book unless someone enjoys sitting in the long-winded lectures of an old, tired college professor.

[Lawson Hembree · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting introduction to Houston based on a 30+ year longitudinal study done by a researcher at Rice. The book begins with a brief history of Houston from its beginning until modern day and then dives into presenting the findings and trends from his study. His basic premise is that Houston is a “prophetic city” in that the cultural and economic trends happening in Houston are a foreshadowing of what will happen in other major cities and eventually the US as a whole. His key focus areas are economic development, ethnic diversity, socioeconomics, and education.

This was recommended to me by multiple people when I moved here and so it provided a helpful context for a newbie. While the data he presents is enlightening, his analysis of some of it, particularly the roots of some of the issues and answers to some of the problems, is undertaken from a more progressive position. It also tended towards repetition of some of the data and themes.

A particular line that stood out: “Houston is a city of conveners and not king-makers.”

[Crysty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was looking forward to deeper examination of Houston - unfortunately I was already familiar with most of the history, people, and organizations depicted and did not delve too deeply into Houston lore or offer new perspective. It made the city feel small (I've only lived here 3 years), despite the expansiveness and diversity that is both a pride of Houston's and - I think - to the author as well.

Klineberg is clearly a dedicated, and established intellectual figure with connections to some of the greatest thinkers and leaders in the city, and conducting a community survey over 4 decades is its own kind of love letter - but this closeness to Houston's center weakened his writing: what was likely a genuine effort to be objective read more like a fear of saying anything offensive, and it diluted decades of analysis down to generalizations.

I don't know that this book will define Houston, but it may be a resource for the one that does.

[Robert Boyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Klineberg has been studying Houston via his annual surveys of resident attitudes for 38 years. This book mixes the results of those surveys with history, interviews, and telling anecdotes. Klineberg seems optimistic, but it's hard to see why. If you carry his conclusions to their logical extreme, the economy of Houston will collapse along with the price of oil, but there will not be enough other industries to keep it growing. And the city has a shallow supply of skilled workers to man such industries even if we had them. To solve this problem, we would have to go back in time 20 or 30 years and massively invest in education. Since that is impossible, it's hard to imagine Houston seriously thriving over the next 20 years. It may come back, but does that really happen with American cities? Decline, when it happens, seems like a permanent state.

[Lynn Lipinski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall Klineberg makes a compelling case about the inevitability of demographic shifts in the U.S. If you had doubts of its impact, he will convince you otherwise with his data. If you're looking for a hopeful path forward, his interviews with people like architect Tom Bacon, former Houston Mayor Bill White, the Archbishop Joseph Fiorenza, Reverend Bill Lawson and Rabbi Samuel Karff will sketch that vision out.

I picked this book up because my family lives in Houston and the book's marketing as a tale of a city transformed over 40 years intrigued me. I didn't know much about the early history of Houston so that portion of the book interested me more than later parts that dived into the demographic surveys conducted by the author over the decades. Not to say that the survey data wasn't a worthwhile read, it is simply that the presentation was drier than I expected.

[Emilee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such an interesting read. This book is based on an annual survey conducted by a Rice professor since 1982, who has been observing how Houston’s population is changing- demographically, culturally, politically, etc., and how Houston serves as a microcosm of the larger scale change happening throughout the US.

As a non-native Houstonian, I really appreciated all of the local history and background provided that I was completely clueless about. I feel like I understand this city and it’s people and geography so much better now.

Although I don’t necessarily agree with many of the author’s conclusions and solutions (ie. more government spending will solve all the problems), I found his overall argument to be persuasive and definitely left me with a lot to think about; namely, what can I personally do to make this city a better place?

[Piyush Pathak · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty underwhelming. Written by a former New Englander who frames the book by saying something along the lines of "I knew Houston was gonna suck but I changed my mind so I decided to study it and here you go, have this book" (I realize I'm being a little unfair to the author and say that partly in jest - he seems to actually like Houston a lot). My problem with the book is mainly that it's so disorganized. Stumbles between an exploration of random political figures and their contributions to recent Houstonian history and various geographic parts of Houston and what they're like (in his heavily editorialized view). It's not terrible, and if you're listening to the audiobook and have ties to Houston it might be worth it, but there are certainly better books out there.

[David Cavaco · Rating 3 out of 5]

Way too much focus on racial and ethnic attitudes of Houston's main demographic groups instead of focusing on the history, growth and development of the United States' fourth largest city. Not surprised as the writer is an esteemed sociologist but the survey results about viewpoints from Houstonians of White, Latino, Black and Asian backgrounds would be better placed in a university textbook. Where this book shines with amazing prose is the origin of Houston and how it developed as one of the essential pillars of the North American economy due to Big Oil and aversion to government interference. Still enjoyable, especially about this city's fragility on urban sprawl, lack of public infrastructure and climate change, especially flooding from recent hurricanes.