A. Rivera reviewed Welcome to Utopia by Karen Valby
Review of 'Welcome to Utopia' on 'Goodreads'
2 stars
I finally finished reading this. Up front, I will say I am giving it two stars not because it is bad, but because it is, well, "just ok," which is what two stars means here on GoodReads. The book did have some interesting moments. It showed some good human interest stories. However, after a while, the book does get a bit tedious and boring much like a small town can get boring after a while. It is amazing that the author got as much access as she did and that the people of Utopia were are open with her as they were.
The book does reveal the good and the bad of living in a small town. For me, the ingrained bigotry and racism, even if seen under the "it's the way things are around here," was a big turn off. It is the 21st century: learn the fact that …
I finally finished reading this. Up front, I will say I am giving it two stars not because it is bad, but because it is, well, "just ok," which is what two stars means here on GoodReads. The book did have some interesting moments. It showed some good human interest stories. However, after a while, the book does get a bit tedious and boring much like a small town can get boring after a while. It is amazing that the author got as much access as she did and that the people of Utopia were are open with her as they were.
The book does reveal the good and the bad of living in a small town. For me, the ingrained bigotry and racism, even if seen under the "it's the way things are around here," was a big turn off. It is the 21st century: learn the fact that the n-word is not an acceptable word for polite company. In many ways, the town can be seen as a time capsule from times past. That is what drove the author to write about it. But change is coming, and the residents resist with varying degrees of success.
The story of the mother with three sons who are soldiers is specially moving. The soldier boys do serve to make some members of the military seem a bit more human, but you also wonder about some of these kids who see no other options when it comes to leaving the town other than joining the military.
By the way, this is NOT Andy Griffith's Mayberry. They have their virtues and some good values, which do them credit. But there are some ugly traits in the town as well. I thought the author overall was fairly balanced in her presentation. Still, I think for many people, this book will likely persuade them to stay away from living in a small town (or any other community with a similar dynamic). After all, it is a place where, for good or bad, everyone knows everyone else's business.
Books with similar appeal for readers:
Friday Night Lights, which is much more interesting than this, and also takes places in a small Texas town.
Deer Hunting with Jesus.
