A look at Fayetteville, North Carolina, home to Fort Bragg, that poses the question,’Are we all military dependents?’
Fayetteville has earned the nicknames of Fatalville and Fayettenam. Unusual and not-sounusual features of the town include gross income inequalities, an extraordinarily high incidence of venereal disease, miles and miles of strip malls, and a history of racial violence. Through interviews with residents and historical research, Catherine Lutz immerses herself in the life of the town to discover how it has supported the military for over a century. From secret training operations that use civilians as mock enemies and allies to the satellite economy of the town, Lutz’s history of Fayetteville reveals the burdens that military preparedness creates for all of us.
“Any reader will find [Lutz’s] conclusions . . . provocative.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Rich in storytelling, history, and political commentary, with implications far beyond Fayetteville.”
—Michael Sherry, author of In the Shadow of War
“In no small part, Homefront chronicles Fayetteville through the trials and triumphs of the downtrodden, the underdogs and the disfranchised.”
—Greg Barnes, Fayetteville Observer
“First rate.”
—Louis B. Cei, Richmond Times Dispatch
“Penetrating.”
—Ann Jarmusch, San Diego Union-Tribune