Well, it’s been a long road to this point. I’ll spare you those details (for now!). But the official publication date for I Hate It Here, Please Vote For Me: Essays on Rural Political Decay is almost upon us. August 1 is the day.
Have you seen the fantastic cover?
WVU Press has done an amazing job with the design. And I couldn’t be more grateful for their work and support.
And how about this “campaign mailer” that’s heading out?
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_720,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3b6901c7-5af7-4b26-bb4c-f8820a70b63a_3357x2214.heic)
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_720,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F39d9ad85-ce19-474b-a390-c703f02b40eb_1835x2547.heic)
I’m proud of this book, and most of all how it marks a wider impact of my run for the state House in 2020. You might have noticed that politics are rotten again, and that the forces of angry right-wingedness are still bullying their way forward. That has a lot to do with what happens in rural America, and it also has a ton to do with how people think rural America functions, laundering the awful ideals of the right wing as somehow appealing to a broad swath of Americans. Nope.
Anyway, here’s the shameless promotion. Why not order the book!? The Press is having a 20% off sale all of July, so now is the perfect time. Use the code SUMMER24 at checkout when you order straight from WVU Press. Or, maybe order the book from your favorite local bookstore, which will also make said bookstore go hmmm what is this amazing book that should be our shelves!?
Next week on Mondays With Matt: let’s talk about Tractor Supply.