Not Quite White: White Trash and the Boundaries of Whiteness

This is a very scholarly and well-researched book on white trash culture and class in America. Low-class whites have always been a subject of scorn and ridicule and have long served as a measure of exclusion based on whiteness. Those fitting this characterization were not accepted by the higher classes of whites who drew clear, segregated boundaries. The characterizations devolved into stereotypes, especially in the South where the perils of pellagra and hook worm infestations took their toll. White trash were stigmatized as lazy, indolent, and immoral. But a good part of their problem stemmed from poor health caused by the ravishment of hook worms. White trash have been despised and mistreated since the time of indentured servitude in the 1600s. Many descendants of early white trash have a legacy of poverty and dysfunction. The South has always been a region devoted to exploitation of the less fortunate and many generations have been held back, even up to the modern period.. This interesting sociological study informs the reader of their history and social-economic handicap. The book is recommended for those wishing to get a better understanding of class and social stratification in America.

Interesting

Interesting. I was not aware that so much research was done for so long on poor white people in the south.

Thoroughly researched and illuminating. This book is both engaging and academically sound. Matt Wray draws from history, sociology, and his own life experience to describe the American relationship with the "other" kind of white people.

Very informative. Helps me understand America.

This is an amazingly helpful book to learn the history of low-class white. Breathtaking and eye-opening. The book totally reoriented how I think race in America.

The first couple chapters feel derivative but the chapters on Eugenics and Hookworm are well done and provide an interesting point of analysis for understanding the development of whiteness. I used this in class on Race in the Americas and it was very popular with the students.

This book was very well written. Sometimes a little wordy, but the author leaves you feeling that you are getting the complete knowledge on the subject. I found myself stopping throughout the book to do research on different things mentioned to get a better picture. I found the book very interesting and would strongly suggest others to read it. It is not a book you will read in one sitting. But it is worth taking the time to read. It should be required reading in schools. I will go one better it should be a course called the Social History of America. Every American should have a working knowledge of this information.