D. J. Waldie loves the suburbs. He was born in one of the tract houses manufactured by the thousands in Lakewood, California. He lives there still, and today works for the city. His book Holy Land is a strange and beautiful mix of personal memoir and suburban history. Waldie tells us why the cheap tract houses of these 1940s suburbs are almost idealistic. Produced by David Krasnow and Will Becton.
The story you just read is available to read for free because thousands of listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Every day, the reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you: We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.
When you make a gift of $10 or more a month, we’ll invite you to a virtual behind-the-scenes tour of our newsroom to thank you for being with The World.