In a work of narrative nonfiction that weaves together the racially fraught history of public education in Milwaukee and the broader story of hypersegregation in the rust belt, Lessons from the Heartland tells of an iconic city's fall from grace - and of its chance for redemption in the twenty-first century. In the early months of 2011, Wisconsin became central to the fight to save America's middle class and its public institutions, in particular public education. Across America, progressives embraced the slogan 'We Are Wisconsin.' This book tells their story.