Promotions - Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles 2016 -

Studying the suburbs is not new, but despite venturing down a semi-beaten path, Dickinson (communication, Colorado State Univ.) has written an intriguing study of the peripheries. His point of departure is "topos," a literary term he uses to signal the rhetorical basis of his study. He sees the suburbs--in both their materiality and their symbolism--as a series of texts. There is also an emphasis, almost ethical at its core, on pursuing the good life, a notion often associated with the American dream aspect of suburban living. This is an ambitious approach, yet it is also a breath of fresh air when compared to scholarship that attempts a neutral, detached stance. The standard suburban practices of shopping, eating, dining, walking, driving, and so on are all considered in illuminating ways. Social scientists and humanists interested in spatial studies will surely enjoy this volume. The suburbs often take a backseat to cities, despite their interrelatedness, and Dickinson astutely puts the suburbs back in the forefront. The references are impressive.Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above.