Home › History & Theory - General › The Big Sort: Why the Clustering of Like-Minded American Is Tearing Us Apart

The Big Sort: Why the Clustering of Like-Minded American Is Tearing Us Apart

by Bill Bishop

How Americans sort into like-minded communities

Regular price $18.12 USD
Regular price $30.21 USD Sale price $18.12 USD
Save 40%

Paperback New

Delivery to your door
In stock·Dispatches in 1–2 business days
Standard shipping* from $4.35
Standard shipping transit* 5–8 business days after dispatch

Faster options are available.

Rates and delivery estimates depend on your destination and item quantity. Estimates are informational only; the final shipping method and rate are selected at checkout.

Secure checkout
American Express Apple Pay DiscoverGoogle Pay Mastercard PayPalVisa
30-day eligible returns Returns & refunds policy

AlbakiReads Editorial

How Americans sort into like-minded communities

Bill Bishop examines how Americans have increasingly gathered in communities and media environments aligned with their lifestyles and beliefs. The book locates this sorting at the scale of cities and neighborhoods, tracing how it has developed and what it means for a politically divided country. Stories about contemporary life provide a starting point for a broader account drawing on history, economics, demographic data, and changes in the political landscape. Its central question is how living among people with similar outlooks can shape the way Americans understand those nearby who see the country differently.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Readers interested in the geography and demographics of political division in the United States.
  • Readers exploring how community choices and media environments relate to shared beliefs.
  • Readers seeking a broad account that connects contemporary American life with history, economics, and politics.

Themes

Political polarizationCommunity and identityDemographic sortingMedia and beliefAmerican political change

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

The award-winning journalist reveals the untold story of why America is so culturally and politically divided in this groundbreaking book.

Armed with startling demographic data, Bill Bishop demonstrates how Americans have spent decades sorting themselves into alarmingly homogeneous communities--not by region or by state, but by city and neighborhood. With ever-increasing specificity, we choose the communities and media that are compatible with our lifestyles and beliefs. The result is a country that has become so ideologically inbred that people don't know and can't understand those who live just a few miles away.

In The Big Sort, Bishop explores how this phenomenon came to be, and its dire implications for our country. He begins with stories about how we live today and then draws on history, economics, and our changing political landscape to create one of the most compelling big-picture accounts of America in recent memory.
Shipping & returnsShipping options, delivery timing, and our return policy.

In-stock items normally dispatch within 1–2 business days. The ZIP-code estimator on this page is informational only; the final shipping method, price, and availability are confirmed at checkout for your full order.

For the initial delivery estimate we use these transit windows after dispatch: Standard 5–8 business days, Expedited 2–4 business days, and Priority 1–2 business days. Holiday delays are not included.

Eligible items can be returned within 30 days in accordance with our return policy.

Customer reviews

M
AlbakiReads
Malaika Taylor

I highly recommend to for anyone looking for inner clarity

T
AlbakiReads
Thomas DiMassa

Great service and fast service

Great shopping experience! The book arrived quickly, was well packaged, and matched the description perfectly. I would definitely shop with you again

O
AlbakiReads
Olivia

Smooth.