{"product_id":"2026200013235-secondhand-a-nation-of-strangers","title":"A Nation Of Strangers","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition remarks:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBook: Good\u003cbr\u003eJacket: Worn\/faded, no tears\u003cbr\u003ePages: Good\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAt a time when American society was fracturing under the pressures of rapid change, Vance Packard's A Nation of Strangers issued a bold and unsettling diagnosis: the United States had become a country of rootless, disconnected individuals, perpetually uprooted by corporate transfers, suburban sprawl, and an insatiable culture of mobility. Published in 1972, this incisive work of social criticism chronicles the accelerating breakdown of community bonds in postwar America, presenting a meticulously researched portrait of a nation in which neighbours no longer know one another, friendships are fleeting, and a sense of belonging has become a luxury few can afford. Packard draws on interviews, studies, and sharp observation to detail the human cost of constant relocation — isolation, anxiety, and the erosion of civic life.\n\nA cornerstone of mid-century American social commentary, A Nation of Strangers sits alongside Packard's earlier classics — The Hidden Persuaders and The Status Seekers — as a work of profound cultural diagnosis delivered with journalistic clarity and moral urgency. Packard argues that geographic rootlessness is not merely a symptom of prosperity but a structural condition with deep psychological and societal consequences, challenging readers to ask what kind of community — and what kind of democracy — can survive in a world where nobody stays put. Decades after its publication, its central question remains hauntingly unresolved.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Secondhand Stock","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49203287883995,"sku":"2026200013235-SECONDHAND","price":15.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0523\/7646\/9701\/files\/91240506-dcdd-4b3f-aac4-1e03b71c01f3.png?v=1788147637","url":"https:\/\/bookgrocer.com\/products\/2026200013235-secondhand-a-nation-of-strangers","provider":"Book Grocer","version":"1.0","type":"link"}