In this Book

summary
"Do you get told what the good life is, or do you figure it out for yourself?" This is the central question of Opting for Elsewhere, as the reader encounters stories of people who chose relocation as a way of redefining themselves and reordering work, family, and personal priorities. This is a book about the impulse to start over. Whether downshifting from stressful careers or being downsized from jobs lost in a surge of economic restructuring, lifestyle migrants seek refuge in places that seem to resonate with an idealized, potential self. Choosing the "option of elsewhere" and moving as a means of remaking self through sheer force of will are basic facets of American character, forged in its history as a developing nation of immigrants with a seemingly ever-expanding frontier. Building off years of interviews and research in the Midwest, including areas of Michigan, Brian Hoey provides an evocative illustration of the ways these sweeping changes impact people and the communities where they live and work as well as how both react--devising strategies for either coping with or challenging the status quo. This portrait of starting over in the heartland of America compels the reader to ask where we are going next as an emerging postindustrial society.

Table of Contents

restricted access Download Full Book
  1. Cover
  2. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Title Page, Copyright
  2. pp. i-iv
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Contents
  2. pp. v-vi
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Preface
  2. pp. vii-xiii
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Acknowledgments
  2. pp. xv-xvi
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Part I. Introductions
  1. 1. Reinvent or Die
  2. pp. 3-10
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 2. Constructing the Good
  2. pp. 11-24
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 3. Moral Horizons
  2. pp. 25-31
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 4. Place
  2. pp. 32-42
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Part II. Patterns of Migration
  1. 5. A Story of Lifestyle Migration
  2. pp. 45-58
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 6. Locating the “Fifth Migration”
  2. pp. 59-74
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Part III. Searching for Meaning
  1. 7. Place of Work
  2. pp. 77-84
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 8. Consumption of Place
  2. pp. 85-91
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 9. Place for Personhood
  2. pp. 92-108
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. IV. Moving On
  1. 10. The Option of Elsewhere
  2. pp. 111-130
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 11. Potential Self
  2. pp. 131-147
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 12. Making Transitions
  2. pp. 148-164
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. V. Conclusions
  1. 13. Migrants and Locals
  2. pp. 167-181
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 14. Place of Lifestyle Migration
  2. pp. 182-192
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Epilogue: Reinvent the Pie
  2. pp. 193-208
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Appendix 1: Methodological Considerations
  2. pp. 209-214
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Appendix 2: Initial Interview Guide
  2. pp. 215-218
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Notes
  2. pp. 219-230
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Works Cited
  2. pp. 231-244
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Index
  2. pp. 245-256
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
Back To Top

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Without cookies your experience may not be seamless.