"Journalist Grace Olmstead wrestles with the question of what we owe the places we come from: How do we square our desire for self-improvement, economic opportunity, and growth with the damage and brain drain left in our wake? She tells the stories of townspeople who no longer know each other, of high schoolers who want to get away, and contrasts them with the struggles of the few stickers who have tried to put down roots. She delves into the government...

"After almost every presentation activist and writer Mia Birdsong gives to executives, think tanks, and policy makers, one of those leaders quietly confesses how much they long for the profound community she describes. They have family, friends, and colleagues, yet they still feel like they're standing alone. They're "winning" at the American Dream, but they're lonely, disconnected, and unsatisfied. It seems counterintuitive that living the "good...