The author of The Hospital asks: Can one poor city show the way to restore faith in government and reimagine the nation's future?
Chester, PA, a poor, majority Black city just south of Philadelphia, is plagued by gun violence, decrepit infrastructure, a hospital at risk of closing, and a scary reputation. After more than a century of mismanagement, people have lost all faith in government.
Stefan Roots, a wastewater plant operator, wants to do something to clean it up. So he runs for mayor with an unlikely cast of political aides: a former kid drug dealer, a one-time hip-hop impresario, a white evangelical graduate student, and a wealthy white business man. Can these neophytes save the soul of the city, restore faith, and set an example for the nation? Brian Alexander argues that the problems Chester faces have germinated over a century of political malfeasance, and the deification of market capitalism. Now, these forces are doing to the rest of the country what they did to Chester long ago as inequality, privatization, and unrestrained profit-seeking spread, wrecking communities and delivering Trump.
Alexander also tracks a quixotic former state legislator in Maine, West Virginia's only elected transgender office holder, and a young Black Democratic Socialist in a well-to-do and mostly white Philadelphia suburb as they struggle to, and sometimes succeed in, reversing the tide. At times ripping, tragic, and hopeful, The Mayor is extraordinarily timed to illuminate our current crises while offering a way forward. BRIAN ALEXANDER, the author of Glass House and The Hospital and winner of the Ohioana Book Awards, is a contributing writer to The Atlantic. He's written for the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Esquire, among others. He's spoken at The Obama Foundation Summit, and in Washington to members of the Senate and House of Representatives. He lives in San Diego.
"The Mayor beautifully captures what's gone wrong-and could go right-in areas of the US left behind by capitalism gone off the rails. With an ear attuned to both racial and class dynamics, he captures the poignancy of people who feel deeply rooted in the "warm bath" of the communities they grew up in. They want them to thrive; if voters want to preserve democracy, they'll make sure they do."
-Joan C. Williams, Distinguished Professor (Emerita) and Director, Equality Action Center, UC Law SF, author of Outclassed
"We are fortunate that Brian Alexander, one of the foremost chroniclers of off-the-beaten track America, has taken it upon himself to tell the story of local government in one particularly overlooked small city. The Mayor is rich in character, texture and drama and manages to be maddening and inspiring at the same time."
-Alec MacGillis, reporter, ProPublica, author of Fulfilment
"Alexander brings us Chester, Pennsylvania, in all its joy, sorrow, and harrowing blight... an exquisite, searing account of a long-shot attempt to resurrect democracy in the only bankrupt city in America. An illuminating dive into the betrayal of our small towns-and our country."
-Andrea Pitzer, author of Icebound
"Driven by his deep love for the invisible forces that bind communities together, Brian Alexander bears witness to the tenacity of tiny Chester, Pa., still punching back despite absorbing the body blows of American racial capitalism for over a century. Equal parts sweeping history and intimate snapshot, The Mayor offers a gripping portrait of the toughest small city in the country."
-Benjamin Herold, author, Disillusioned: Five Families and the Unraveling of America's Suburbs
"Throughout the country, there is despair. This wonderful, engaging book does much more than show the human side of this despair. It illustrates that even in the most dire circumstances, there is hope. It starts with the human side of the story: leadership, hard work, and talking to people to bring them together."
-Daron Acemog
