States of Neglect

A very well documented account of the process by which, with the push of corporations further empowered by Citizen United, states have entered an era of neglect not just for the welfare of their citizen but the very existence of a future for them and of the results of that neglect. From the ongoing dismantlement of the public education system in favor of more expensive for profit dysregulated system to the seemingly ever expanding healthcare deserts that more and more rural Americans have to contend with there's a surprisingly vast amount of topics that are touched upon in a volume which isn't that big.
Kleinknecht does a great job at introducing “key players” when names are needed so that even someone with no knowledge of American politics can understand what he's talking about and he uses an approachable and easy to understand language. That being said, he goes into enough details that even people with a good awareness of the situation might find interesting tidbits and angles of approach.
While this book focuses on republican led states and California (as an example of what dealing with the aftermath of neglect might look like and the illusion that it is a failure) it does not spare democrats who can, and are, also often bought by corporate interests
Lots of sources are cited if you want to read further on any of the topics touched on.
Disclosure: I received an eARC copy of this book from The New Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.