Review of Deer Hunting with Jesus: Dispatches from America's Class War

This was exactly the book I needed. It took a while to finish thanks to some distractions over the holiday season, but under better circumstances, I would have been able to zip through it.

Written before our current economic downturn, the author gives us an insider's view of a sizable segment of our population. It was helpful for me to have this information as I'm sorting out why we are where we are at this very moment. Why are so many people apoplectic and calling for a "throw the bums out!" moment? How did the Tea Party become such a dramatic element in the recent elections? And are there bigger issues involved that are not even on the radar.

I may have to take the time to review some of the elements that caused the most internal struggle with me. Most notably, the impact of the deep seeded religious beliefs mixed with a Scots-Irish genetic makeup and a wholesale acceptance of capitalism without asking the difficult question - Is this in my best interests?

I try to keep an open mind on political, religious and economic issues. It's important to do one's homework and see the issues from different sides to come up with a conclusion. I think what may be happening, on both sides, is an inability to step in the shoes of another and see why an individual makes the decisions or has the world view that they do. It is frustrating for people when someone can't see something the same way they do. However, Deer Hunting with Jesus was another piece of the puzzle in my understanding of our world.

**On a side note, I recently heard the author, Joe Bageant, is battling cancer and is unable to write. I wish him the best with his recovery.