The Lies of the Land: Seeing Rural America for What It Is—And Isn't, by StevenConn, Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press, 2023. 320 pp. $29.00 (cloth). ISBN: 978‐0‐226‐82690‐5.

In The Lies of the Land, Steven Conn challenges readers to rethink the conventional understanding of rural spaces. He argues that the rural is not inherently distinct from the urban, as commonly portrayed by the myth of the rural idyll. Instead, Conn posits that both rural and urban landscapes have been shaped by similar processes of modernization, creating profound interconnections. He contends that failing to acknowledge these linkages perpetuates the myth of the rural idyll and risks obscuring the powerful forces that have influenced both rural and urban environments over the past two centuries. Conn's analysis centers on four key processes: militarization, industrialization, corporatization, and suburbanization. Drawing on extensive archival data and research from disciplines such as economics, sociology, geography, and anthropology, he constructs a comprehensive narrative of the transformations in rural and urban spaces driven by macro-level dynamics. Crucially, this broad narrative is bolstered by case studies that add depth and nuance, highlighting the experiences and impacts on the populations of specific spaces and places. By integrating historical and social science sources, Conn provides both a chronological framework for understanding these processes and a lens through which readers can grasp their profound effects on individuals, families, communities, and regions. Conn begins his exploration of modernization processes with the militarization of rural spaces. He emphasizes that militarization initially took root in rural areas through the displacement of Indigenous peoples, relocating them from their ancestral lands. This early military presence is still evident in the remnants of posts established near Native American communities. The expansion of military influence continued through the Cold War, with the proliferation of bases further transforming rural landscapes. Conn illustrates these dynamics through two case studies: Fort Hood (now Fort Cavazos) in East Texas and K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. These installations not only spurred population growth but also altered population dynamics. While rural communities gained economic opportunities, they faced significant challenges from rapid population surges—Sawyer, for instance, housed up to 300,000 active-duty personnel—and the influx of diverse “newcomers.” Though Fort Cavazos remains operational, Sawyer exemplifies the devastating effects of base closures, which often led to severe economic decline, widespread unemployment, and rural blight. The second process, industrialization, saw the emergence of new industries in both urban and rural areas. For instance, iron forges were established near rural iron mines, while mills were strategically located near water sources to harness power. Following the Civil War, agricultural industrialization advanced with the advent of technologies for mass production and food processing, alongside the consolidation of farmland to boost output. The expansion of the railroad network further facilitated these industrial developments. In the early 20th century, the mounting urban crisis prompted public and private sector initiatives to “decentralize” industry and “revitalize” rural economies, leveraging the availability of cheaper, more compliant labor in rural areas. Conn illustrates this dynamic through two case studies in rural Ohio: the GM and Honda manufacturing plants. As with earlier examples, the GM plant community experienced a boom-and-bust cycle, while the Honda plant remains operational at its original location, sustaining the local economy. The corporatization process, closely tied to industrialization, began with the establishment of farmer cooperatives and later transitioned to family farm corporations designed to facilitate intergenerational business transfers. Although these cooperatives initially improved agricultural management, they eventually gave way to corporate structures that consolidated smaller farms to control agricultural production on a much larger scale. These changes, driven by government policy incentives to boost output, fueled the rise of agribusiness. Similarly, retail corporations like Woolworths and J.C. Penney initially targeted rural markets before expanding into urban areas. Over time, other retail chains followed suit, spreading into rural regions and hastening the displacement of local businesses, contributing to the economic decline of these communities. Corporatization also played a pivotal role in the fourth process, suburbanization, which involved the migration of populations from both rural and urban areas to new suburban “rings” surrounding urban centers. This movement was facilitated by the expansion of the interstate highway system, the decentralization of manufacturing operations, and the development of new housing settlements. These suburban communities often attracted individuals with distinct, and frequently anti-urban, attitudes, reshaping the social and economic landscapes of both rural and urban areas. The significance of Conn's work lies in its introduction of a new framework for understanding critical historical and social processes and the interconnections among them. Notably, Conn highlights the importance of historical context in analyzing the evolving dynamics of modernization and their social impacts. In many ways, Conn's work feels like a contemporary version of The Sociological Imagination (Mills 1959) written with rural sociologists in mind. However, despite his effective use of sociological concepts and research, Conn's framework could have been enhanced by engaging with the boomtown literature, which extensively documents the effects of rapid population growth and its consequences (e.g., Brown, Dorius, and Krannich 2005; Brown, Geertsen, and Krannich 1989; Cope et al. 2015; Gulliford 1989). Furthermore, recent sociological studies also delve deeper into many of the issues Conn addresses. Relevant works include, for example, Ashwood (2018), Bailey, Jensen, and Ransom (2014), Brown and Schafft (2017), Flora, Flora, and Gasteyer (2018), Fulkerson and Thomas (2019), Hochschild (2016, 2024), Kelly (2024), Sherman (2021), Slack and Monnat (2024), Tickameyer, Sherman, and Warlick (2017), Ulrich-Schad et al. (2022). Incorporating these perspectives with Conn's work will offer an enriched and more comprehensive analysis of processes and their impacts. In total, Conn's compelling reexamination of rurality suggests the potential value of conceptualizing rural and urban areas as endpoints on a continuum, differentiated by varying degrees of population density and heterogeneity. However, his analysis also highlights the challenge of defining “rural” within the nuanced, evolving points along this continuum. This raises a critical question: what does rurality—and by extension, rural lifestyles—mean in increasingly complex contexts that are becoming more detached from traditional ties to the land? In conclusion, Conn's Lies of the Land is a thought-provoking, engaging, and eloquently written work that offers fresh insights into the shifting dynamics of rural and urban landscapes. No doubt readers at the undergraduate and graduate levels will find this to be a worthwhile read.