An accessible, richly illustrated overview of how unprecedented racial change is remaking the United States.
Race is once again a contentious topic in America, as shown by the divisive rise of Donald Trump and the activism of groups like Black Lives Matter. Yet, Diversity Explosion argues that the current period of profound racial change will lead to a far less divided nation than many fear. Prominent demographer William Frey sees America’s emerging diversity boom as good news for a country that would otherwise become isolated from the rest of world while facing declining growth and rapid aging for years to come.
In this updated and revised third edition of his award-winning book, Frey draws lessons from the 2020 and 2024 presidential elections and fresh statistics to paint a clear picture of where America’s racial demography is headed-and what it means for the nation’s future. Drawing from the most recent U.S. Census, recent national surveys, and related sources, Frey tells how the rapidly growing “new minorities”-Hispanics, Asians, and multiracial Americans-along with African Americans and other groups, are transforming and reinvigorating communities from cities to suburbs and from the coasts to the heartland. He discusses their impact on generational change, neighborhood segregation, and interracial marriage, as well as presidential politics.
Praise for the previous edition of Diversity Explosion
“Bill Frey is widely acknowledged as America’s leading demographer. In Diversity Explosion he extrapolates from current trends and paints a picture of how America will change demographically over the next 40 years. ”
—Michael Barone, American Enterprise Institute, Washington Examiner, and co-author, The Almanac of American Politics
“Bill Frey has mapped the contours of the emerging Next America more powerfully and presciently than anyone else. With Diversity Explosion, he gives us nothing less than a field guide to the American future. Frey has looked deep into the data and emerged with a book that is not only comprehensive and compelling but also ultimately hopeful in his faith that Americans will come together to seize the enormous opportunities generated by our kaleidoscopic demographic change. ”
—Ronald Brownstein, editorial director, Atlantic Media and author, The Second Civil War: How Extreme Partisanship Has Paralyzed Washington and Polarized America.
“William Frey is a numbers guy. Diversity Explosion is a smart, but not daunting exposition of the demographic revolution already under way. Frey breaks down the intriguing ways we’ll watch America change: at work, at school, in the voting booth and in the culture at large. He shows us the next America and then tells us all the reasons he’s concluded we can handle it. ”
—Ray Suarez, Al Jazeera America’s Inside Story, and author, Latino Americans: The 500-Year Legacy That Shaped a Nation
““What happened to the country I grew up in?” As a journalist I hear that question all over America, especially from older white people. Blacks and all but the most recent immigrants say it too. Let Bill Frey expertly explain the change and why it is good for everyone. A great read! ”
—Juan Williams, Fox News political analyst, Hill columnist and author, Eyes on the Prize: America’s Civil Rights Years.
“In a definitive guide to America’s demographic transformation, Frey gives us the facts and figures needed to understand how we got to where we are as a people and the even greater changes still ahead. Some books speculate about the future, this one calculates certainties. ”
—Roberto Suro, professor of journalism and public policy at the University of Southern California
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