Between the River and the Railroad Tracks

Appealing to readers of The Yellow House and The Men We Reaped, MacArthur “Genius” Fellow Nicole R. Fleetwood shares her personal story of moving up and out of a forgotten Rust Belt town and into the prestigious halls of academia, interrogating how her ascension is in stark contrast to the decline of the All-American Midwest that shaped her.

During the 70s, Hamilton, Ohio, was filled with smiling children and parents excited for their futures. It was poised to be the next rapidly industrializing city, with a union-strong working class and the determination of Black excellence. It stood as a demographic marker for the nation, an index of everyday life and politics. Every four years presidential candidates held rallies and took press photos in the historically Black neighborhood, the Second Ward. And yet, as the late 20th century took hold, it became the place where many of the boys Nicole R. Fleetwood knew growing up have killed or been killed.
 
Situated in what used to be a vibrant Black Midwest community, Between the River and the Railroad Tracks is a record of Fleetwood’s life and a portrait of a place in transition. The Second Ward would be devastated by hyper-policing, crime, and drugs. The Black and white working-class core of the town would replace their union affiliation with a religious fervor, praying for better days.
 
From a leading scholar whose work has been hailed as “profoundly revisionist” (NBCC) and “elucidating” (MacArthur Foundation), Between the River and the Railroad Tracks braids Fleetwood’s indelible story with the narrative of forgotten Black midwestern communities for an unforgettable portrait of the working-class America Hillbilly Elegy overlooked.