Stuck

“Appelbaum is a lovely storyteller, and in this gentle book he emphasizes how much the historical ability of Americans to change their circumstances has depended on moving somewhere else.”—The New Yorker

“Insightful . . . compelling . . . [Appelbaum] skillfully blends zoning history with his own reportage.”—Los Angeles Times

“[A] fascinating new account of the decline in Americans’ geographic mobility.”—The Economist

“Appelbaum’s skill as a historian shines.”—City Journal

“Engagingly written.”—Harvard Business Review

“Fascinating. In this riveting story of mobility from the Puritans to the present, Stuck reinterprets American history and offers a key to reimagining a vibrant, more egalitarian, future.”—Heather Cox Richardson, author of Democracy Awakening

“In this vivid and troubling history, Yoni Appelbaum offers a provocative account of how immobility has contributed to the inequalities of income and wealth that are devastating the United States.”—Jill Lepore, author of These Truths

“At once a fascinating history and a blueprint for change, Stuck unravels a powerful and urgent story about the hidden forces that have shaped—and constrained—American opportunity. With gripping historical insight and sharp contemporary relevance, Yoni Appelbaum delivers a must-read work for anyone passionate about equity and the future of American mobility.”—Gilbert King, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Devil in the Grove

“Americans have always treasured the joys of moving, but Yoni Appelbaum brilliantly shows how that freedom has been strangled by zoning laws, racism and the misuse of building codes. Housing, he writes, ‘has grown artificially scarce and prohibitively expensive.’ Public anger and social divisions have embittered our politics. With verve and passion, Appelbaum champions a nation not only with more affordable housing but also with stronger communities and richer social connections. Stuck should provoke clearer thinking, more productive debate—and action.”—E.J. Dionne Jr., author of Why Americans Hate Politics and Our Divided Political Heart

“Yoni Appelbaum offers readers an essential lens for understanding opportunity in America. In a rich and deeply researched tour of the country’s social and economic trajectory, he illustrates that geographic mobility is dynamism—change embodied—and without it, we remain mired in the status quo.”—Clayton Page Aldern, author of The Weight of Nature and Homelessness Is a Housing Problem

“Appelbaum’s masterful new book traces the history of American ideas about the freedom to move, showing how mobility finally triumphed in law only to be sapped of practical possibility by a growing morass of local restrictions housing development. The story he tells is rich with ironies, perfectly timed, and surprisingly fun to read.”—Christopher Elmensdorf, Martin Luther King Jr. Professor of Law, University of California, Davis School of Law