Name: Wildland
Rating: 4.2 (1855 reviews)
Author: Evan Osnos

In "Wildland," journalist Evan Osnos takes readers on an eye-opening tour of the American political landscape that led to the shocking events of January 6, 2021. Drawing on seven years of in-depth reporting and interviews across three very different American cities, Osnos paints a vivid picture of how economic inequality, racial tensions, political polarization, and institutional decay created the conditions for social upheaval and democratic crisis.

Introduction

On a sweltering summer day in 2018, a California farmer inadvertently sparked a massive wildfire while trying to seal a wasp nest in his parched fields. Within minutes, the blaze had spread across 20 acres of dry brush and scattered homes - an area firefighters call "wildland" because it's so prone to catching fire.

This incident serves as an apt metaphor for the political and social landscape of America in the early 21st century. Years of mounting tensions and divisions had turned the country into a political wildland, just waiting for a spark to set it ablaze. That spark would come on January 6, 2021, when a violent mob stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to overturn the results of the presidential election.

How did America reach this dangerous precipice? To understand the roots of this crisis, Osnos takes readers on a journey through three emblematic American cities:

Greenwich, Connecticut: An enclave of extreme wealth that embodies the growing divide between the ultra-rich and everyone else.
Clarksburg, West Virginia: A struggling post-industrial town grappling with economic decline, the opioid epidemic, and a crisis of hope.
Chicago, Illinois: A major city still haunted by its legacy of racial segregation and inequality.

By weaving together stories and insights from these three locales, Osnos illuminates the forces that have been pulling America apart and eroding its democratic foundations. His reporting reveals how changes in the economy, media, and political culture over the past few decades created the conditions for someone like Donald Trump to rise to power and further inflame the country's divisions.

Greenwich: The Rise of the Ultra-Wealthy

Greenwich, Connecticut has long been synonymous with American wealth and privilege. In the late 19th century, it became a fashionable retreat for New York City's elite, who built opulent Gilded Age mansions along its picturesque coastline. But even Greenwich's storied history of affluence pales in comparison to the extreme concentration of wealth that has accumulated there in recent decades.

The Hedge Fund Revolution

Beginning in the 1980s, Greenwich became ground zero for a new breed of ultra-wealthy financiers who made their fortunes through hedge funds and other high-risk investment vehicles. These aggressive new tactics allowed a small group of investors to reap astronomical profits, far outpacing the rest of the economy.

The results were staggering:

By 2017, Wall Street was capturing 23% of all corporate profits in America.
The top 0.01% of earners (about 16,000 households) held $1 out of every $17 earned in the country - the highest share since data collection began in 1913.
The wealth gap grew so extreme that tax officials in Connecticut began closely monitoring the quarterly tax payments of just the half-dozen richest residents, as their personal earnings could significantly impact the entire state's budget.

This extreme concentration of wealth at the top had profound ripple effects throughout society. The ultra-rich were able to separate themselves from the rest of the population not just financially, but in terms of healthcare, education, and overall quality of life. Perhaps most significantly, it fostered a shift in values among business elites away from long-term stability and towards short-term profit maximization at any cost.

The Decline of Moderate Republicanism

Greenwich's political evolution mirrored these economic changes. Once a bastion of moderate "country club" Republicanism exemplified by figures like Prescott Bush (father of George H.W. Bush), the town's politics began shifting dramatically to the right.

Osnos traces how the moderate, pragmatic conservatism of the post-war era gave way to a more rigid, ideological brand of right-wing politics:

In the 1960s, Greenwich residents like investment banker J. William Middendorf II became early converts to the libertarian ideology of Barry Goldwater, rejecting the very notion of an activist government.
The rise of conservative talk radio in the 1990s, led by figures like Rush Limbaugh, helped spread these ideas to a mass audience and demonize government, environmentalism, and public education as liberal plots.
After Mitt Romney's defeat in 2012, many in the GOP concluded they needed to double down on white identity politics and anti-government populism rather than moderating their message.

This rightward shift set the stage for the rise of a figure like Donald Trump, who could harness the party's new ideological fervor while also appealing to the "missing" white voters who felt left behind by the mainstream pro-business agenda.

Clarksburg: The Decline of the American Heartland

If Greenwich represents the winners in America's new economic order, Clarksburg, West Virginia exemplifies the struggles of those left behind. Once a thriving industrial center nicknamed the "Athens of Allegheny," Clarksburg has become a shadow of its former self - plagued by population loss, economic stagnation, and a public health crisis.

The False Promise of Coal

For generations, coal mining was the economic lifeblood of West Virginia. But the industry's decline has left deep scars on both the landscape and the people. Osnos describes how the rise of "mountaintop removal" mining in the late 1990s briefly revived hopes that coal could save the region:

This new technique involved literally blasting the tops off mountains to access coal seams, yielding twice as much coal per hour as traditional underground mining.
Mining companies bought up land rights and began dramatically reshaping the topography of the state.
Politicians and industry leaders promoted the idea that doubling down on coal was the key to West Virginia's future prosperity.

However, this promise proved hollow. Mountaintop removal actually required fewer workers than traditional mining. And the environmental toll was severe, contaminating air and water supplies with toxic debris. Yet the myth that coal would bring back good jobs persisted, leaving the region ill-prepared to adapt to economic changes.

Brain Drain and Demographic Collapse

As mining jobs disappeared and other industries failed to take root, Clarksburg and much of West Virginia entered a downward spiral of population loss:

Young people began fleeing the state in droves to seek opportunity elsewhere.
Between 2007 and 2017, West Virginia lost 18,000 residents - the highest per-capita exodus rate in the country.
This brain drain left behind an aging population with higher rates of poverty, poor health outcomes, and substance abuse.

The shrinking tax base made it increasingly difficult for local governments to provide basic services or invest in new economic development, creating a vicious cycle of decline.

The Collapse of Local Media

Adding to Clarksburg's woes was the decimation of local news sources that once helped bind communities together:

Between 2000 and 2012, print advertising revenue for American newspapers fell by a staggering 71% as ads migrated online.
Local newspapers across the country, including in West Virginia, began collapsing or dramatically scaling back coverage.
People increasingly got their news from national cable networks or social media, which prioritized emotional, provocative content over substantive local reporting.

This shift had profound effects on civic engagement and social cohesion:

From 1949 to 2007, the percentage of Americans who could name their governor declined sharply.
Without robust local news, people lost an important source of shared information and connection to their communities.
National news sources often failed to cover the realities of life in places like Clarksburg, leaving residents feeling ignored and misunderstood.

All of these factors - economic decline, population loss, and the erosion of local institutions - left many in West Virginia feeling increasingly alienated from the American mainstream and receptive to populist messages that promised to shake up the system.

Chicago: America's Enduring Racial Divide

While Greenwich and Clarksburg illustrate the growing chasm between the ultra-wealthy and the struggling white working class, Chicago serves as a stark reminder of how race continues to shape opportunity and life outcomes in America. Despite its reputation as a diverse, Democratic-leaning city, Chicago remains one of the most segregated metropolitan areas in the country - a legacy of discriminatory policies that continue to reverberate today.

The Great Migration and Racial Segregation

In the early 20th century, Chicago became a major destination for Black Americans fleeing the oppression of the Jim Crow South during the Great Migration. But these newcomers were not welcomed with open arms:

Before the Great Migration, Chicago's population was only 2% Black. Afterward, it rose to 33%.
White neighborhoods formed "restrictive covenants" preventing homeowners from selling or renting to Black residents.
This funneled Black migrants into overcrowded areas on the city's South Side.
By 1940, Chicago was more racially segregated than Richmond, Virginia - the former capital of the Confederacy.

These patterns of segregation became further entrenched through government policies like redlining, which made it nearly impossible for Black families to get mortgages in certain neighborhoods. The result was a deeply divided city where race determined access to quality schools, jobs, and other opportunities.

The Persistence of Inequality

Osnos illustrates how this history of segregation continues to shape life outcomes for Black Chicagoans today through the story of Preston Maurice "Reese" Clark:

As a child, Reese was able to attend a good elementary school in a mostly white neighborhood. But when the school bus service ended after 8th grade, his family couldn't afford public transit fare to keep him there.
Instead, Reese had to attend the local high school, Fenger, which was known for violence and had a sports budget of just $750 per year.
With limited educational and economic prospects, Reese fell into a spiral of drugs, crime, and eventually prison.

This story is tragically common:

Nearly one-third of all Black men in the U.S. end up incarcerated at some point in their lives.
Upon release, their criminal records make it extremely difficult to find legitimate employment.
This perpetuates a cycle of poverty and involvement in the underground economy.

Political Disillusionment

The persistence of these racial inequalities has led to growing frustration with the political establishment among many Black Chicagoans. Osnos recounts how the handling of the Laquan McDonald shooting eroded trust in Democratic leadership:

In 2014, a Black teenager named Laquan McDonald was shot 16 times by a police officer.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel, a prominent Democrat, fought to prevent the release of dashcam footage that contradicted the official police account.
When the video was finally made public - after Emanuel had secured re-election - it sparked protests and accusations of a cover-up.

This incident highlighted how even liberal politicians often seemed more interested in protecting their own power than addressing systemic racial injustices. It contributed to a sense that the entire political system was fundamentally broken and unresponsive to the needs of Black communities.

The Rise of Trump and the Politics of Fear

Against this backdrop of growing inequality, economic dislocation, and racial tensions, Donald Trump emerged as a political force by tapping into and amplifying many Americans' deepest fears and resentments.

Exploiting Fears of Immigration and Demographic Change

Trump's inflammatory rhetoric on immigration resonated with white Americans anxious about the country's changing demographics:

The foreign-born population of the U.S. had risen from 5% in the 1970s to 14% by 2018 - one of the fastest demographic shifts in the country's history.
Trump played on fears that immigrants were "bringing drugs" and "rapists," despite evidence showing lower crime rates among first-generation immigrants.
He rejected Syrian refugees by claiming "they could be ISIS," stoking fears of terrorism.

These messages tapped into a broader anxiety among some white Americans about becoming a minority in a country they had long dominated culturally and politically.

Guns and the Myth of Constant Danger

The Trump campaign also capitalized on and further inflamed the modern gun culture that had been cultivated by groups like the NRA since the 1970s:

Contrary to popular belief, America's gun obsession is not a longstanding tradition, but a relatively recent phenomenon driven by gun industry marketing.
The NRA reframed gun ownership as essential for self-defense, despite falling violent crime rates.
Trump embraced this narrative, presenting America as a dangerous place where citizens needed to be armed at all times.

This fed into a broader sense of paranoia and distrust of others that Trump's campaign thrived on.

Demonizing the "Elites" and Mainstream Media

Trump positioned himself as the champion of "forgotten" working-class Americans against corrupt elites and the "fake news" media:

He tapped into resentment over how the working class had been increasingly mocked and derided in popular culture.
Trump branded mainstream news outlets as the "enemy of the people" and told supporters that "what you're seeing and what you're reading is not what's happening."
This assault on shared truth made it easier for Trump to spread misinformation and conspiracy theories unchecked.

By positioning himself as the sole source of truth for his supporters, Trump was able to create an alternate reality that was extremely resistant to fact-checking or criticism from traditional authorities.

The Trump Presidency: An Agenda of Destruction

Once in office, Trump set about implementing an agenda that in many ways accelerated the trends of inequality, institutional decay, and social division that had brought him to power in the first place.

Dismantling Government from Within

Trump moved quickly to reduce the size and effectiveness of the federal government:

He left hundreds of key positions unfilled across agencies.
In just the first nine months of his term, over 79,000 full-time federal workers quit or retired - 42% more than during the same period under Obama.
This "brain drain" severely hampered the government's ability to respond to crises or implement coherent policies.

Empowering Corporate Interests

While claiming to champion the working class, Trump's policies often benefited the wealthy and corporations:

His signature $1.5 trillion tax cut provided an average benefit of just $120 to households in the bottom 20% of incomes, compared to $48,000 for the top 1%.
Environmental and worker protections were rolled back in the name of cutting "job-killing regulations."

Inflaming Cultural Divisions

Trump's inflammatory rhetoric had a tangible impact on social cohesion:

Incidents of harassment and hate crimes increased, with some perpetrators explicitly citing Trump as inspiration.
Political polarization reached new extremes, with one study finding that 15% of Republicans and 20% of Democrats believed the country would be better off if large numbers of the opposing party "just died."

The Perfect Storm: COVID-19 and Racial Justice Protests

The dysfunction of the Trump era was thrown into stark relief in 2020 as the country faced twin crises: the COVID-19 pandemic and a nationwide reckoning over racial injustice sparked by the murder of George Floyd.

Mismanaging the Pandemic

Trump's gutting of government institutions and rejection of expertise left the U.S. woefully unprepared to handle COVID-19:

He initially dismissed the virus as a "hoax," wasting crucial weeks of preparation time.
The richest country in the world struggled to provide basic supplies like masks and tests.
Low-income communities and people of color suffered disproportionately due to crowded living conditions, lack of health insurance, and higher rates of pre-existing conditions.

When confronted with the mounting death toll, Trump's response was a callous "It is what it is," highlighting his administration's lack of empathy or sense of responsibility.

Inflaming Racial Tensions

The killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis sparked the largest protests for racial justice in U.S. history. Trump's response further divided the nation:

He focused on isolated incidents of looting and property damage, despite the fact that over 90% of protests were peaceful.
Trump used the unrest to paint a picture of "Democrat-run cities" descending into chaos, stoking fears among his base.
Gun sales reached record highs as some Americans prepared for imagined conflict.

These crises laid bare the dysfunction of the political system and the deep inequalities in American society, setting the stage for the explosive events to come.

The 2020 Election and January 6 Insurrection

The 2020 presidential election became a referendum on Trump's divisive leadership and handling of the year's crises. Despite losing both the popular vote and Electoral College by significant margins, Trump launched an unprecedented campaign to overturn the results:

He spread baseless conspiracy theories about voter fraud.
His legal team filed dozens of meritless lawsuits challenging results in key states.
Trump pressured state officials and Vice President Pence to reject the certified election results.

When all legal and political avenues were exhausted, Trump turned to his most fervent supporters. At a rally on January 6, 2021 - the day Congress was set to certify the election results - Trump exhorted the crowd to march to the Capitol and "fight like hell."

What followed was one of the darkest days in American history:

Thousands of Trump supporters, some armed and wearing tactical gear, stormed the U.S. Capitol.
They overwhelmed police barricades, smashed windows, and forced their way into the halls of Congress.
Lawmakers and staff had to be evacuated as the mob ransacked offices and the Senate chamber.
Five people died as a result of the violence, and many more were injured.

The insurrection was the culmination of years of mounting anger, cynicism, and erosion of democratic norms. It laid bare how fragile America's democratic institutions had become and how close the country had come to a genuine constitutional crisis.

Aftermath and Reflections

In the immediate aftermath of January 6, there seemed to be a moment of clarity and potential for change:

Social media platforms finally took action to limit Trump's ability to spread misinformation, banning him from major sites.
Some Republican leaders, like Senator Lindsey Graham, initially distanced themselves from Trump and condemned the violence.
President Biden's inaugural address called for unity while also acknowledging the fragility of democracy.

However, this moment of reckoning proved short-lived. Within days, many Republicans had returned to defending Trump and downplaying the severity of the insurrection. The deep divisions and systemic problems that led to this crisis remained largely unaddressed.

Osnos concludes by reflecting on what January 6 revealed about the state of American democracy:

The events were the result of more than two decades of growing inequality, institutional decay, and erosion of shared truth.
America's political landscape had truly become a "wildland" - dry kindling just waiting for a spark.
While democracy survived this particular crisis, the underlying conditions that made it possible remain a serious threat.

The book serves as both a warning about the fragility of democratic institutions and a call to action to address the deep-seated issues that have brought America to this precarious moment in its history.

Final Thoughts

"Wildland" provides a sweeping and insightful look at the forces that have reshaped American politics and society in the early 21st century. By focusing on three distinct communities - Greenwich, Clarksburg, and Chicago - Osnos is able to illustrate how seemingly disparate trends are in fact deeply interconnected:

The extreme concentration of wealth in places like Greenwich has hollowed out the middle class and left many Americans feeling economically and culturally alienated.
The decline of industry and local institutions in places like Clarksburg has created a vacuum filled by resentment, conspiracy theories, and a longing for a mythologized past.
The persistence of racial segregation and inequality in cities like Chicago undermines faith in the political system and the very idea of shared American prosperity.

These divisions and dysfunctions created fertile ground for a figure like Donald Trump to rise to power by exploiting fears, resentments, and a general sense that the system was rigged against ordinary people. Once in office, Trump's actions often exacerbated the very problems that fueled his rise, creating a dangerous feedback loop of polarization and institutional decay.

The COVID-19 pandemic and racial justice protests of 2020 brought many of these underlying tensions to the surface, setting the stage for the shocking events of January 6, 2021. The insurrection at the U.S. Capitol served as a stark wake-up call about the fragility of American democracy and the very real dangers of political extremism.

Osnos's reporting highlights how the crisis of American democracy is not solely the result of one man or one political movement, but rather the product of long-term trends that have been building for decades. This suggests that there are no easy solutions or quick fixes to heal the country's deep divisions.

However, by tracing the roots of these problems, "Wildland" also points to potential paths forward:

Addressing extreme economic inequality and finding ways to rebuild a strong middle class.
Reinvesting in local communities and institutions to restore social cohesion and trust.
Confronting the legacy of racial discrimination and working to create genuine equality of opportunity.
Rebuilding a shared sense of truth and civic responsibility through education and reformed media ecosystems.

Ultimately, the book serves as both a sobering diagnosis of America's political ills and a call to action for citizens to engage in the hard work of renewing and strengthening democratic institutions. It reminds readers that democracy is not something to be taken for granted, but rather a fragile system that requires constant vigilance and active participation to survive and thrive.

As the United States continues to grapple with the aftermath of January 6 and the deep divisions it exposed, "Wildland" offers valuable context for understanding how the country reached this precarious moment - and what it might take to chart a more stable and equitable course for the future.