The Stranger Next Door: The Story of a Small Community's

The Stranger Next Door: The Story of a Small Community's Battle over Sex, Faith, and Civil Rights

In The Stranger Next Door, Alrene Stein explores how a small community with a declining industrial economy became the site of a bitter battle over gay rights. Fearing job loss and a feeling of being left behind, one Oregon townâ€™s working-class residents allied with religious conservatives to deny the civil liberties of queer men and women. In a book that combines strong on-the-ground research and lucid analysis with a novelistâ€™s imaginative sympathy, Steinâ€™s exploration of how fear and uncertainty can cause citizens to shift blame onto â€œstrangersâ€ provides insight into the challenges the country faces in the age of Trump.

Winner of the 2001 Ruth Benedict Award

The Stranger Next Door: The Story of a Small Community's Battle over Sex, Faith, and Civil Rights