Survival of Rural America

Every once in awhile a well meaning individual will offer suggestions on possible books I might be interested in reading. One such literary list included “Caught in the Middle” by Richard C Longworth. It quickly became blaringly evident that Mr. Longworth has no love loss for rural America, strange, since he grew up in rural Iowa. He states that, “There is no place in a globalized world for the small town and family farm…Most of the region is in denial.”  Mr. Longworth is quick to assume that rural America will die a slow and painful death as globalization runs over it due supposedly to rural communities’ inability to adapt.  You know what they say about assuming anything, and Mr. Longworth seems to be a pretty big assumer.  It appears that perhaps the author has some deep seeded resentment about his hometown that have clouded his judgment and left him with a very singular and narrow-minded view of rural America, its development and its survival. The people living in rural America have what it takes to survive, and they will, long after Mr. Longworth’s book has been forgotten.