I wrote this book between January and August 2019, which means I wrote a dark American history as the country faded to black. This was not easy, and I was only able to do it thanks to the support and encouragement of many people—too many to list in this space.
First, I’d like to thank my wonderful readers. You made my first book, The View from Flyover Country, a grassroots hit and created the demand for more. I’ve enjoyed reading your emails, tweets, and letters, and meeting some of you while on tour. I am very fortunate to have such an engaged and thoughtful audience. I believe that an informed public is a powerful public, and I hope you take that message to heart while reading Hiding in Plain Sight.
My profound gratitude to my agent, Robert Lecker, who always had my back and whose advice throughout this process was indispensable. Robert is both principled and pragmatic, and one of the best professional decisions I ever made was signing with his agency in 2016.
Thank you to everyone at Flatiron Books, especially my editor, Bryn Clark, who offered useful suggestions at every stage of the process, came up with a great title, and stayed both flexible and tenacious as the news cycle necessitated constant updates to the material. Hiding in Plain Sight can get very depressing, and Bryn had to read every line over and over, so major credit to Bryn for putting up with that. Thanks also to the copy editors and production designers for bringing this book to fruition, and to my Flatiron publicist, the always helpful and organized Amelia Possanza, who brought my work to a larger audience.
Thank you to all the friends and fellow writers with whom I discussed this subject matter over the years. Foremost among them is Andrea Chalupa, who is not only my partner on our podcast Gaslit Nation but a terrific friend and a brilliant thinker. I could not have gotten through the last few years without Andrea. Congratulations on baby Alice! Others whose insights and support I particularly appreciate include Malcolm Nance, Leah McElrath, Melissa McEwan, Olga Lautman, and Josh Manning. Thank you to all the Gaslit Nation guests who came on the show and shared your wisdom with me and Andrea, and thank you to the shows who had me on in turn. Thanks also to the many editors who have supported my work these last few years, especially Amberly McAteer at The Globe and Mail.
Deep appreciation for the activists inspired by my writing, especially Indivisible St. Louis and Annie Marshall. It has been encouraging to see people continue to fight for our rights nationwide, but particularly here in Missouri, where life was already hard and no hell was all that shocking. Thank you also to the Ferguson activists and others in the St. Louis region who keep demanding justice no matter the odds.
Most of all, thank you to my family for making every day worthwhile, even in these dark times. Thanks to my parents, Barbara and Larry—and special thanks to my mom for taking her cameos in this book in stride. Thanks also to Lizzie, Mike, Jack, and Kate; Sally and Phil; Liz and Dave; and babysitters extraordinaire Karl and Julia.
To my favorite people, Emily and Alex: I love you so much. You made writing this difficult book easier just by being yourselves. Every time I’m with you, the horrible complexity of the situation I’ve found myself in fades away and I know what matters in life. I am so happy to be your mom.
Finally, to my husband, Pete: thank you for everything. Thank you for standing by me during a very tumultuous time, for hearing out my ideas, for reading the initial drafts of this book and offering comments, for being a wonderful father, for buying me Guns N’ Roses tickets as a reward for finishing the book, and for your incredible patience. We may not have gotten the future we envisioned twenty years ago, but, for once, I’ve got no complaints.