The author chronicles the economic decline of a small town in the Pacific Northwest and the concurrent rise of religiously fueled homophobia, a movement promoted by Lon Mabon, an outside agitator from the Oregon Citizens Alliance.
Stein (sociology, University of Oregon and Rutgers University) tells the fictionalized story of a rural Oregon town and its encounters with prejudice and paranoia when a conservative Christian organization convinces citizens that lesbians and gays are taking over the town and demanding special rights. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
"A fascinating look at the psychology of fear and persuasion."
—Monica Drake, The Oregonian
With strong on-the-ground research and lucid analysis, Arlene Stein sets out to discover why the people of a town with no apparent queer population were hell-bent on getting rid of those individuals' "special rights."
The Stranger Next Door's contemporary subject and theoretical breadth coupled with a remarkable lack of jargon should make it a sociological classic.... A wonderful companion to an introductory sociology course, as well as courses on theory, sexuality, deviance, inequality, and religion
.—Mary Bernstein, American Journal of Sociology
"By combining the meticulousness of an ethnographer with a writer's commitment to storytelling, Stein has written a book that's surprisingly compelling-or, better, compelling because it's surprising."
—David L. Kirp, The Nation
