Blue in a Red State: The Survival Guide to Life in the Real America by Justin Krebsq

Imagine If You Felt Out Of Step With Every Other Member Of The Parent Association At Your Kid's School, Your Quilting Circle, Or Even Your Workout Group. What If Casual Conversations Revolved Around Fox News And The Decline Of American Values? How Would You Feel If You Were Afraid To Put A Political Bumper Sticker On Your Car Or Had To Think Twice About What Liberal Posts You Liked On Facebook? These Are Just Some Of The Experiences Shared By Liberals Across Twenty States And Five Time Zones Who Tell Their Stories With Honesty, Warmth, And Humor. Most Of Us Have To Talk Across The Aisle Once Or Twice A Year--when We're Seated Next To Our Conservative Out-of-town Uncle At Thanksgiving, Say. But Millions Of Self- Identified Liberals Live In Cities And Towns--particularly Away From The East And West Coasts--where They Are Regularly Outnumbered And Outvoted By Conservatives. In This Uplifting And Completely Original Book, Justin Krebs, The Founder Of The National Living Liberally Network, Speaks With And Tells The Stories Of Atheists, Vegetarians, Environmentalists, Pacifists, And Old-fashioned Liberals--a Term He Is Intent On Rehabilitating--from Texas To Idaho, South Carolina To Alaska. Krebs Weaves These Stories Together To Create A Provocative And Rollicking Taxonomy Of Strategies For Living In A Diverse Society, With Lessons For Every Participant In Our Great Democratic Experiment.-- Waukesha, Wisconsin / Lisa Muxworthy Muxworthy, Lisa 1 -- Sandia Park, New Mexico / Spike Murphree Murphree, Spike 11 -- Cincinnati, Ohio / Rebecca Lehman Lehman, Rebecca, Chris Flowers Flowers, Chris 25 -- Fairbanks, Alaska / Diane Fleeks Fleeks, Diane 36 -- Idaho Falls, Idaho / Dan Henry Henry, Dan 46 -- Little Elm, Texas / John Turner-mcclelland Turner-mcclelland, John 55 -- Kalispell, Montana / Susannah Casey Casey, Susannah 67 -- Pawleys Island, South Carolina / Rita, Dean Smith Smith, Dean 76 -- Tuscaloosa, Alabama/new York, New York / Desmond Porbeni Porbeni, Desmond 89 -- Grapevine, Texas / Kathleen Thompson Thompson, Kathleen 103 -- Fayetteville, Arkansas / Greg Leding Leding, Greg 113 -- Yankton, South Dakota / Chris Sonne Sonne, Chris 121 -- Spartanburg, South Carolina / Diane, Al, Cass Chulick Chulick, Cass 132 -- Austin, Texas / Lenzi Sheible Sheible, Lenzi 143 -- Brandon, Florida / Joe Litton Litton, Joe 153 -- Milford, Massachusetts / Glenn, Christina Wiech Wiech, Christina 163 -- Pomeroy, Iowa / Byron Stuart Stuart, Byron 176. Justin Krebs. "Imagine if you felt out of step with every other member of the parent association at your kid's school, your quilting circle, or even your workout group. What if casual conversations revolved around Fox News and the decline of American values? How would you feel if you were afraid to put a political bumper sticker on your car or had to think twice about what liberal posts you liked on Facebook? These are just some of the experiences shared by liberals across twenty states and five time zones who tell their stories with honesty, warmth, and humor. Most of us have to "talk across the aisle" once or twice a year--when we're seated next to our conservative out-of-town uncle at Thanksgiving, say. But millions of self- identified liberals live in cities and towns--particularly away from the East and West Coasts--where they are regularly outnumbered and outvoted by conservatives. In this uplifting and completely original book, Justin Krebs, the founder of the national Living Liberally network, speaks with and tells the stories of atheists, vegetarians, environmentalists, pacifists, and old-fashioned liberals--a term he is intent on rehabilitating--from Texas to Idaho, South Carolina to Alaska. Krebs weaves these stories together to create a provocative and rollicking taxonomy of strategies for living in a diverse society, with lessons for every participant in our great democratic experiment."-- Provided by publisher INTRODUCTION Lisa Muxworthy WAUKESHA, WISCONSIN Spike Murphree SANDIA PARK, NEW MEXICO Rebecca Lehman and Chris Flowers CINCINNATI, OHIO Diane Fleeks FAIRBANKS, ALASKA Dan Henry IDAHO FALLS, IDAHO John Turner-McClelland LITTLE ELM, TEXAS Susannah Casey KALISPELL, MONTANA Rita and Dean Smith PAWLEYS ISLAND, SOUTH CAROLINA Desmond Porbeni TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA/NEW YORK, NEW YORK Kathleen Thompson GRAPEVINE, TEXAS Greg Leding FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS Chris Sonne YANKTON, SOUTH DAKOTA Diane, Al, and Cass Chulick SPARTANBURG, SOUTH CAROLINA Lenzi Sheible AUSTIN, TEXAS Joe Litton BRANDON, FLORIDA Glenn and Christina Wiech MILFORD, MASSACHUSETTS Byron Stuart POMEROY, IOWA Acknowledgments