Miami: The Changing Face of America

The city of Miami is the setting of a forthcoming book by novelist Tom Wolfe, whose works have come to define eras in American culture. Some say his selection of Miami as a setting shows that the melting pot city is the face of a changing America.

1 minute read

April 19, 2010, 5:00 AM PDT

By Nate Berg


"The city seems to encapsulate many modern themes in American life. As debates about immigration rage across the political spectrum, Miami is the unofficial capital of Latino America. The region is also at the centre of the property boom and bust that has devastated America's economy. And Miami's culture of extravagant wealth, superclubs and beaches have come to symbolise some of the cultureless vanities of the modern age exposed by the financial crisis. This is a place where the very rich go to party within a few miles of some of the poorest people in America. It is a city where political corruption has become a way of life – rich territory indeed for Wolfe's touch. Through looking at Miami, Wolfe may reveal much more than the tales of a single city. He may be once again chronicling the state of the nation."

Wolfe's new book will be titled "Back to Blood", and is expected to be released later this year.

Sunday, April 18, 2010 in Guardian

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