Prophetic City - by Stephen L Klineberg

Book Synopsis

Sociologist Stephen Klineberg presents "a trailblazing study" (Kirkus Reviews) that shows how the city of Houston has emerged as a microcosm for America's future--based on a meticulously researched, 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.

"Eye-opening and accessible" (Publishers Weekly), 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, and is where, for better or worse, we can see the American future emerging.

Review Quotes

"[A] layered, nuanced history of this ever-evolving city." --Texas Observer

"A detailed, accessible portrait of the changing face of Houston." --New Yorker

"A fascinating portrait of Houston . . . A must-read, highly recommended sociological perspective of America's future." --Library Journal (starred review)

"A trailblazing study . . . Klineberg supports his case with a wealth of survey research, interviews with experts, and user-friendly graphs, all of which make this book invaluable for anyone seeking a deep understanding of an underappreciated city. A unique blend of analysis and research that is likely to become a classic work of scholarship on Houston." --Kirkus (starred review)

"An excellent new book on Houston . . . Particularly well-timed to our current moment . . . What Klineberg does beautifully in this book is to show that the challenges that Houston is grappling with today will be the challenges that the rest of us will be facing tomorrow." --Inside Higher Ed

"Essential . . . A long overdue urban biography . . . Engaging and accessible." --The Houston Chronicle

"It's a relief to read a book where Houston isn't just the backdrop--it's the story. . . . Critical reading for anyone interested in the Bayou City." --Texas Monthly

"Klineberg's meticulous research makes a strong case that Houston, with its growing inequalities, demographic shift to a nonwhite majority, and rising social and environmental consciousness, is at the forefront of America's future. This eye-opening and accessible study deserves a wide readership." --Publishers Weekly