Hidden America: From Coal Miners to Cowboys, an Extraordinary Exploration of the Unseen People Who Make This Country Work

What does the title mean? What is “hidden” that Laskas wants to reveal?

In the introduction, Laskas states, “[m]y own political views have no place in this book, and I deliberately steered away from making please on behalf of anyone […].” However, she notes, “it seemed incomplete to ignore the fact that America continues to split itself into political extremes” (7). How well do you think Laskas balanced these two considerations overall? Were there any chapters that seemed more or less politically balanced?

In many sections, death and illness play a large role. Explore how death and illness are a central part of the text, and what this indicates about Laskas’s goals for the stories she tells.