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Johnson, Walter. The Broken Heart of America: St. Louis and the Violent History of the United States. New York: Basic Books, 2020. 528 pp. $35.00 (trade paperback).
Walter Johnson's latest book, The Broken Heart of America, is a retrieval of the suppressed and forgotten narratives that illustrate capitalism's legacy of exploiting Native Americans, African Americans, and to a lesser extent, poor whites and European immigrants. Johnson positions St. Louis as an experimental laboratory for imperialist capitalism, while simultaneously putting St. Louis under a critical microscope as he examines the innovative and adaptive nature of power and class. The author's overarching objective is to forge a durable link between racism, western expansion, and capitalism. This thesis is not without controversy, as historians Wagman 2020, Lehman 2021, and Cowie 2020, question Johnson's tendency to interject his subjective interpretation of historical events which allows him to conveniently gloss over historical narratives that contradict his argument. The authors of this review are labor and workforce development educators who primarily focused on the application of Johnson's grand narrative of racial capitalism. In this review, the authors' focus on Johnson's important contributions to the general public's increased awareness of the submerged narrative of class and power in the United States and how workers are divided and exploited in the pursuit of increased wealth and power.
This review focuses on how racism and capitalism are a manifestation of class and power within the United States and how these forces are frequently obscured in our historical narratives. Throughout American history, racism and capitalism have been utilized as a tool to consolidate or exercise power over races and other communities. The authors will illustrate why this lens is important and how educators can better understand the implications of history and how that has affected change and social justice. A common motivation of educators is to improve the communities in which they live. Building stronger and more inclusive communities must begin by learning the darkest parts of history so that society can learn from its mistakes and strive to do better. Johnson's manuscript is aligned with this shared objective as he calls to attention past transgressions, starts constructive dialogue that advances America's understanding of their contributions to ongoing racial disparities, and begins to develop actionable...