Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.

Exiled in America

Life on the Margins in a Residential Motel

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

Residential motels have long been places of last resort for many vulnerable Americans—released prisoners, people with disabilities or mental illness, struggling addicts, the recently homeless, and the working poor. Cast aside by their families and mainstream society, they survive in squalid, unsafe, and demeaning circumstances that few of us can imagine.
For a year, the sociologist Christopher P. Dum lived in the Boardwalk Motel to better understand its residents and the varied paths that brought them there. He witnessed moments of violence and conflict, as well as those of care and compassion. As told through the voices and experiences of motel residents, Exiled in America paints a portrait of a vibrant community whose members forged identities in response to overwhelming stigma and created meaningful lives despite crushing economic instability.
In addition to chronicling daily life at the Boardwalk, Dum follows local neighborhood efforts to shut the establishment down, leading to a wider analysis of legislative attempts to sanitize shared social space. He also suggests meaningful policy changes to address the societal failures that lead to the need for motels such as the Boardwalk. The story of the Boardwalk, and the many motels like it, will concern anyone who cares about the lives of America's most vulnerable citizens.

  • Creators

  • Series

  • Publisher

  • Release date

  • Formats

  • Languages

  • Reviews

    • Kirkus

      Dum (Sociology/Kent State Univ.) debuts with an ethnographic study of a year in the life of a residential motel.In this revealing, rigorously academic work, the author tells the stories of "social refugees"--marginalized people including the mentally ill, disabled individuals, addicts, and registered sex offenders--living in the Boardwalk Motel, a squalid two-story building located in pseudonymous Dutchland, an affluent white suburban community. Some townspeople call Boardwalk "the pedophile motel." For residents, arriving from prisons, shelters, and the back seats of cars, it is "a location of last resort for poor individuals in search of affordable housing." With great courage and empathy, Dum rented a room, hung out in this "dumping ground for those deemed socially unacceptable," and befriended many residents, observing their daily struggles to survive in a culture centered on substance abuse. He takes pains to describe the stigma and stereotype facing residents; local critics ultimately succeeded in "sanitizing," or closing, the motel over code violations. "The stigma of the motel was so blinding that they were unable to see residents as human beings," writes Dum. By giving voice to the residents, the author allows readers to understand their humanity and their surprisingly vibrant culture, with its many moments of sharing, caring, and community. Dum describes the motel's underground economy, the sometimes strained relations between residents, and how some individuals created unique identities: one man, working on scrap metal in his room, considered himself an entrepreneur; a couple referred to their room as a studio apartment. The author places the painful experiences of these residents in the larger societal context: rising rates of incarceration, foreclosures, evictions, and homelessness have in recent years turned many nonchain motels into shelters for the marginalized. Dum's scholarly apparatus is on full display, which will please specialists but should not deter general readers. His exceptional view of what's happening to the weakest among us deserves a place on the same shelf with Matthew Desmond's groundbreaking book Evicted (2016). COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

    • Kirkus

      Starred review from August 1, 2016
      Dum (Sociology/Kent State Univ.) debuts with an ethnographic study of a year in the life of a residential motel.In this revealing, rigorously academic work, the author tells the stories of social refugeesmarginalized people including the mentally ill, disabled individuals, addicts, and registered sex offendersliving in the Boardwalk Motel, a squalid two-story building located in pseudonymous Dutchland, an affluent white suburban community. Some townspeople call Boardwalk the pedophile motel. For residents, arriving from prisons, shelters, and the back seats of cars, it is a location of last resort for poor individuals in search of affordable housing. With great courage and empathy, Dum rented a room, hung out in this dumping ground for those deemed socially unacceptable, and befriended many residents, observing their daily struggles to survive in a culture centered on substance abuse. He takes pains to describe the stigma and stereotype facing residents; local critics ultimately succeeded in sanitizing, or closing, the motel over code violations. The stigma of the motel was so blinding that they were unable to see residents as human beings, writes Dum. By giving voice to the residents, the author allows readers to understand their humanity and their surprisingly vibrant culture, with its many moments of sharing, caring, and community. Dum describes the motels underground economy, the sometimes strained relations between residents, and how some individuals created unique identities: one man, working on scrap metal in his room, considered himself an entrepreneur; a couple referred to their room as a studio apartment. The author places the painful experiences of these residents in the larger societal context: rising rates of incarceration, foreclosures, evictions, and homelessness have in recent years turned many nonchain motels into shelters for the marginalized. Dums scholarly apparatus is on full display, which will please specialists but should not deter general readers. His exceptional view of whats happening to the weakest among us deserves a place on the same shelf with Matthew Desmonds groundbreaking book Evicted (2016).

      COPYRIGHT(2016) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Formats

  • Kindle Book
  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

Languages

  • English

Loading