I started reading Janesville expecting to understand the anger of the working class, continuously impoverished by events outside of their control. I expected to gain an insight into the vitriol that helped to elect Donald Trump. These expectations were all wrong. Janesville is a human story, sympathetic and deeply caring about individuals.
The people in Janesville can’t all be painted with one brush, or with one explanation. Their lives diverge, and Goldstein does a superb job of keeping track of these stories, and weaving them all together with adroitness. I feel like I’ve had a glimpse into a dozen lives, and the grander narratives that we don’t see around them. I love that Barack Obama and Paul Ryan exist on the peripheries for once, rather than as we normally see them in the media as the prime movers.