"Hollowing Out the Middle"

This fall, my daughter Liz took a Social Psych course at the U of Iowa, and brought home the book "Hollowing Out the Middle, The Rural Brain Drain and What It Means for America" by Patrick J Carr and Maria J Kefalas.

I was deeply moved by reading this book, and since I've been on campus for just a week, nearly all of my professors have mentioned this at the first class (I'll paraphrase...) "we're going to educate all of you highly intelligent folks in (pick a subject) so you can leave and make lots and lots of money!" 

"Hollowing Out The Middle" is an excellent book, if you're from Iowa or have roots in Iowa.  In 2001, the MacArthur Foundation funded the 2 sociologists/authors of this book to travel to and live in Iowa to gain understanding of exodus of young people from rural America, like Iowa.

The authors make up town names to protect the innocent, but at some points in the book, I'd guess that the sociologists picked a small town somewhere between Manchester and Dubuque.

The sociologist segment the citizens of the Iowa community that they meet into these groups:

• The Stayers - the working class
• The Seekers - Kids that join the military and then come home
• The Returners - Those of us who left Iowa, and then came back (like me)

It's a good book, and a quick read.  The sociologist's findings are that the culture of Iowa is to send our kids to the state universities (Iowa or Iowa State), educate them well, and encourage them to leave Iowa and pursue fabulous lucrative careers.  After all, any Iowa parent is so proud to have their son or daughter at Iowa or Iowa State. Once our best and brightest leave Iowa, they raise families away from Iowa, enjoy the amenities of life that the extra cash provides, and never want to return. Nobody wants to uproot a child from school or leave their friends behind, moving is hard.  That's the obvious and right thing for the best and the brightest people to do, move away and find a great job.  There's nothing wrong with that, and that's ok.  Iowa will never have the great weather, beautiful mountains, or the fabulous beach amenities which draw both young and old people away.

The findings of the sociologists also say that Iowa should invest in the people who want to stay: the working class.  Economic development in Iowa should focus on businesses where employees have either a high school education or a community college education, as those are the folks who will stay here in this state. Makes sense.

I found the book very interesting;  this was something I already knew as I live it every day.  I am grateful I have had the career opportunities here in this state that I have had, but I have found it quite a struggle many times as companies come and go from Iowa and a regular pace, and will most likely continue to do so.  As an MBA, I found it easy to start and run a business here, and I enjoyed having my own business most of my career.  But, I am sure I am not the average Mom you would find walking the streets of these small towns, as  I'm a single mom with a master's degree in business administration. I often feel like a fish out of water.  But, I do love it here in Iowa.

If you'd like to read "Hollowing Out the Middle" you can learn more about the book at this website and purchase it online:  

Hollowing Out the Middle, The Rural Brain Drain and What It Means for America"