Sam Metz from the Desert Sun published an extensive article about my new book. The piece does a nice job of translating an academic book to the general public. An underlying theme that may not come through for people outside of the Coachella Valley was the fact that a poor kid from Coachella and now a professor at USC has written a book that reflects on some of the racial and class hierarchies that are still prevalent in that region. I have been working with community groups from the Eastern Coachella Valley who want to change the narrative about the region in order to highlight local assets and to reveal the lingering power imbalances that produce racialized inequalities. That story has yet to be written, but we are working on it.
In the meantime, here is an excerpt from the article:
"Inland Shift" explores the economic upheaval that has swept through the Inland Empire, narrowing in specifically on the region's "logistics economy" – the industries that move and store goods, such as warehousing, wholesale trade and trucking. As Southern California's ports grew and coastal enclaves became more expensive, the logistics economy flourished in the Inland Empire, altering the region's social fabric, as well as its racial and economic makeup.
The entire piece can be found here: 'Inland Shift,' a new book by USC's Juan De Lara, explores what Inland Empire's past says about its future