The Myth of the American Dream by D. L. Mayfield is a collection of essays that challenges the reader to examine the values of affluence, autonomy, safety, and power that shape the American culture and lifestyle. Mayfield draws from her personal experiences of living and working with refugee communities in the United States, as well as her theological reflections and biblical insights, to expose the ways that these values are often incompatible with Jesus' command to love our neighbor as ourselves. She also invites the reader to consider how these values have failed those on the margins of society, and how we can disentangle ourselves from pursuing them at the expense of others. Mayfield writes with honesty, vulnerability, and prophetic courage, calling us to rethink our assumptions and practices in light of the gospel and the kingdom of God.

This was such a good challenge to the Hellenistic worldview embraced by Americans. I know I can idolize comfort and safety. This book has such a great message for American Christians and one that could really heal some hurts. The prose is good: Mayfield clearly researched and considered various positions, yet managed to make the text accessible to a wide audience.

This is a great book. Just what Americans need right now. It delves deeply into everything we’ve been taught about what’s important in life. It shatters the myths of success and isolation with a thousand pointed questions. I loved this one. I highly recommend it.

D. L. Mayfield is not writing to make anyone comfortable, even herself. As she got to know her neighbors, who were mostly refugees, she realized that her belief that God rewarded people who followed the rules was not true for these people who had been through so much. In The Myth of the American Dream, she calls Christians out for confusing the work of our faith with our striving for affluence, autonomy, safety, and power.
When she taught English to students who had recently arrived to the United States, she realized that a bag of donated clothes or a grammar worksheet would not fix the trauma and oppression that these people had experienced. Mayfield challenges her readers to look beyond these momentary transactions and ponder what it looks like to be a good neighbor, to realize that we are not flourishing when our neighbors are suffering. Our good intentions are not enough in the face of policies like redlining, gentrification, and prejudice in hiring that keep people from owning a home or earning the kind of income that we do. "Love is a concrete way of living in the world that prioritizes others, and other's people's children, over our own." The Myth of the American Dream asks us to open our eyes to more; it is a book that will convict you to rethink what you ask from God and change how you live as a good neighbor to the people around you.

The Myth of the American Dream:
Reflections on Affluence, Autonomy, Safety, and Power
By D.L Mayfield
IVP May 2020
192 pages
Read via Netgalley

The Myth of the American Dream is a book on the reflections of a white woman and what it means to be American and the implications with that. I really appreciate this book because of how story based she is in her writing. She addresses that Jesus came to free the poor, captive, blind, and oppressed, Mayfield asked the question, "What is the opposite of poor, captives, blind, and oppressed." She concludes that the opposite of those things are Affluence, Autonomy, Safety, and power. She also proposes that these are the charactersitics of the American Dream so many of us try to pursue.

There were many strengths to this book that I have to recognize. Mayfield's writing is laced with many stories of difference. Most of her reflections and conclusions came from being around people who were not like her. One of the most impacting parts was when Mayfield talked about money and the power of every time you buy a purchase you thank God for his provision. I also appreciated how Mayfield gave a glimpse of justice and her wrestle with justice.

My biggest set back while reading was that there were moments where Mayfield's writing felt like she was kind of wallowing in white guilt. I would've appreciated maybe if she had not talked so much about how much she felt bad, it felt counterproductive.

Overall, I would highly suggest this book to most people.

This book wasn't what I expected. I thought it would be clinical and analytical but instead it runs deep with conviction, unveiling the darkness that hides under the guise of the American Dream. It made my heart heavy to read, I felt the weight of injustice that the author encounters every day and I felt the hurt and frustration rolling off each page. She rightly points out that the American dream carries a cost so high it means that those who suffer for it will always be those on the edge of society. It's the same in the UK, although there are some differences. There was a lot in the book that really challenged me, particularly what community looks like & how we truly love our neighbors & neighborhood. But the one thing that it lacked was talking more about how Jesus offers a better dream. This is what I had hoped the book was about, more of a comparison to how the gospel holds out a better hope. The author rightly calls out white evangelical churches & their lack of loving their neighbors & embracing power, but a better hope needs to be held out to people and that hope can only be found in Christ. I felt quite conflicted about this as the challenge of the book struck me hard and there were glimmers of gospel hope scattered here and there but I wanted and needed more.

This isn't a "how to" book. It isn't a book that will shame you or should you (you should do XYZ, you should not..."). It is, however, a book that will challenge you, inspire you, encourage you, and make you think through/wrestle through your own beliefs on affluence, autonomy, safety and power.

Most likely, portions of the book will be uncomfortable, and from Mayfield's writing, that appears to be intentional. However, I found myself appreciating this even when I needed to sit with a chapter or idea for a while.

I read over 50 books a year and it's pretty rare that I give a book 5 stars, but this deserves every one.

I knew this one was going to be good long before I actually started reading it. I’ve been following D.L. Mayfield on social media for years, read her first book, and deeply appreciate her perspective and wisdom. The introduction convinced me that alongside the good, it was going to be hard and probably a little painful. And it was. The contrasts Mayfield draws between the American Dream and the scriptural blueprint for a society where everyone flourishes are sharp and uncomfortable. Confronting our privilege and complicity in the systems that marginalize, oppress, and dehumanize other image bearers is never easy. Doing so without getting lost in a fog of paralyzing guilt and fear is even harder. But we’re called to live humbly and act justly; and we cannot truly act justly without a renewed idea of what justice for all looks like. I’ll be processing this book for quite a while.

The Myth of the American Dream is an important book. It's readable, and yet hard to read. From the beginning, D. L. Mayfield presented the reality of what the "American Dream" looks like for so many in this country today. I felt so much conviction around my life of privilege as a middle class white woman, a homeowner, a suburb-dweller, a Christian who has only ever been a minority by choice (study abroad). I've read D. L. Mayfield for years and love her passion for justice, equity, and for making people the center of the world and not just financial gain. While reading this book, I was encouraged to see her passion for change and her conviction that Christians need to do better.

There were a few concerns I had with this book. First, I think poverty and suffering were a bit romanticized or presented as a subject the author feels guilt over not experiencing. I was curious to know when it is "appropriate" for white people to suffer. The author almost died in childbirth but seemed to brush that off as "not as bad" as other people's experiences. Secondly, she teaches refugees English and is friends with Muslims. I wonder where evangelism comes into that. I'm not saying we should "4 spiritual laws" everyone we come into contact with, but I think if Christians are involved in that work they should talk about their faith. I didn't get that the author does that but maybe I missed it. Lastly, if we don't just follow her example--how do we change our perception of the American dream and help others? There was a little encouragement to "get involved" at the end but no real suggestions as to HOW to do that. I put the book down feeling somewhat more educated, a little more guilty, and not really sure how to move forward.

Despite these concerns, I think this book is worth the read and is an important subject to consider.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for a free ecopy to read. All opinions are my own.

I was drawn to D.L. Mayfield’s writings because of her love of her neighbors, beautiful storytelling, and pursuit of truth. With that said, I loved the Myth of the American Dream. I feel like her writing and storytelling have really grown in this book and I was captivated by page one. She gently but truthfully pulls back the veil on what is the reality of the American Dream for so many. It’s an eye-opening, for the uninitiated, of systemic racism and classism that so many experience in the United States. It’s a timely message full of heart and the desire to shine the light on the lives of many in our midst. I didn’t agree with everything she said or even theologically land on the same page with her in some areas, but what’s the point of reading a book if you already agree with everything the author says? I loved the opportunity to be stretched in my worldview and examine my own heart for places I can let go of the “American Dream” so that my fellow immigrants, refugees, and other in generational poverty can rise up and experience the same “givens” I expect and want every day. I loved this quote about affluence from her book: “The antidote to affluence is not shame. It is, instead, thanksgiving. This is not a truth I learned on my own but one that has been revealed to me by my friends who excel in the duties of delight and gratitude and celebration, tempered by their very hard realities.”

Thank you for your perspective and voice, D.L.! It is much needed in a time like this. I would highly recommend this book to book clubs, men and women who want to expand their view of what IS the American Dream and what does Jesus have to say about it. Read it in a group, discuss it with your friends, your Bible study group. It’s well worth it!

D.L. Mayfield, author of the recent release The Myth of the American Dream, has a story that resonates with me and mirrors some of my own evolution in this area; to that end, I had some hesitance when I approached her book. Would I find it simply a rehashing of my own thoughts? That presumptuous attitude of mine was, thankfully, short-lived. I found this book a relevant, meaningful contribution to current dialogues.

Mayfield shows how our behaviors can evolve from being the generous benefactors to truly being in relationship with another. I recall how a church's vision for missions and outreach can often be in this uneven relationship, how the church is the one to give and the chosen countries/neighborhoods/schools are the ones to receive, an uneven balance that leaves most unchanged beyond the short term. I can feel self-aware as I reflect back on my own involvement in such ventures. How do we live out our faith in relevant ways, to admit areas we have come short, to push for improvement?

Mayfield has a friend who asks the question: "Who pays for our myths?" As she navigated what it means to acknowledge the privilege we have, as we reflect on what it would look like for justice to take place, for shalom to happen, we are changed. We may make sacrifices when we come alongside another, we may forego other's versions of safety or success, but we gain a truer understanding of what the world is, and what it could become.

The best compliment I can pay is that it felt like a conversation I have had with my friends, as we continue learning, continue being made aware of our assumptions and letting new information change us and urge us to act and to speak and to advocate for others so as to better live out our faith and our love for neighbor in the truest, most genuine sense.

(I received a digital ARC from InterVarsity Press via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.)

<strong>Summary: Is the American Dream and Christianity compatible?</strong>
<p style="text-align: left;">A couple of years ago, I learned that the word ambivalent means "having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone."  I realized that I have been using the word wrong before that. Since then, it keeps coming to mind. I have contradictory ideas about The Myth of the American Dream. It is a great book. I exported my notes and comments on it, and I have 66 pages, 1/3 of the book that has a comment or underlined section.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">The narrative structure spoke to me because while I have never met DL Mayfield, she puts voice to many things I have felt. I have been following her writing for years, her cover story at <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=3&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjK_4e90pvpAhUumuAKHfb3Aa8QFjACegQICRAB&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.christianitytoday.com%2Fct%2F2017%2Fseptember%2Flegacy-lynching-america-christians-repentance.html&amp;usg=AOvVaw2HO91PSFtX3d8f2PpJXkcY">Christianity Today on Lynching,</a> her <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2018/12/20/marys-magnificat-bible-is-revolutionary-so-evangelicals-silence-it/?utm_term=.0de2756e4dbf">Washington Post piece on the revolutionary nature of Mary's Magnificant</a> and too many more articles to list. The Myth of the American Dream, like following her on twitter or reading her work, is about putting out her pain and desire for the world to be different, more like the kingdom of God, on display to stir up something, anything in the reader.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">The Myth of the American Dream I can't think of apart from the coincidental trilogy of books I read along with it. Along with this book, and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Good-White-Racist-Confronting-Injustice-ebook/dp/B086BW1JT9/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1PQPIFIDU45Q9&amp;dchild=1&amp;keywords=good+white+racist&amp;qid=1588647115&amp;sprefix=good+white+racist%2Caps%2C154&amp;sr=8-2">Good, White Racist</a> is <a href="http://bookwi.se/having-nothing/">Having Nothing, Possessing Everything</a>. It is a couple of years old, but it has a similar structure of telling the story of how ministry, as traditionally done, doesn't work. Both books point out the weaknesses of unfettered capitalism, and individualistic consumerism contradicts with care for the other. They have different settings, Possessing Everything is about urban Indianapolis with mostly Black and Hispanic poor communities. Mayfield's lives in suburban Portland, with refugee communities struggling to find a place in the midst of gentrifying liberalism. Both bring up education and the problems of white saviors and real introspection about how we can harm as we attempt to serve.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">With both the writing was excellent and the focus on how traditional White Protestant ministry often seeks to do for or reconstruct communities to look like we think they should instead of how God sees them. I do not know how to write about this book because I have far too much to talk about. How do I summarize nearly 70 pages of notes and highlights?  At the beginning of the book, she says, 'this is a book about paying attention.' And that is probably the best summary. The American Dream is about not paying attention to those who are not doing well—ignoring protests or poverty, or the systems that allow some of us to have much and many others to have almost nothing. It is not about who is working hardest. I can assure you that my work is not hard, but the 'essential worker' making minimum wage is working hard.<!--more--></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Mayfield brings to mind the many comments of the Old Testament prophets that remind us of how we treat the poor and marginalized and how that relates to those that are now poor and marginalized. What I appreciated about both Possessing Everything and The Myth of the American Dream is that they are focused not on ministry to, but being neighbors to the poor and marginalized.</p>

<blockquote>"Asking people to do good, to give, to be charitable, becomes easy in these kinds of societies; asking them to be neighbors with those they most wish to help is not since it points out an inconvenient truth that most of us try hard to forget all the time: some of us have worked hard to make sure we are only neighorrs with certain kinds of people, and now we have to live with the results."</blockquote>
<p style="text-align: left;">Mayfield cites Lisa Sharon Harper, who reminds us that the American Dream wants us to pay attention to the wrong thing. Scripture tells us to, 'train my eyes and ears toward those who have been saying consistently that all is not well'. The American Dream wants us to pay attention to the rich and powerful, the good life and to ignore others, if not outright condemn them for their poverty and weakness.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">One of the significant strengths of The Myth of the American Dream is that Mayfield is not telling the reader what to do. This is not 'three steps to solve global poverty' or 'five steps to bring about justice in your community' book. Mayfield shows us how to lament what is wrong, her role in it, and the inability of many Christians to even notice. Under much of the book is the reverberations of racism and xenophobia. Many White authors share 'dumb White guy' stories or condemn those that just don't get it, Mayfield does not, she laments. Lament is a very biblical idea. It isn't about shame or spinning our wheels, trying to ask what we can do now. Lament is about crying out to God, and even better, crying out to God in community.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">The Myth of the American Dream is not what I would call a 'feel-good' book. But it is a hopeful one. It is hopeful not because 'with God's strength all problems will be solved' but because the is awareness of God's kingdom and the very upsidedown methods that God tends to use.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">All of this brings me to the ambivalence that I feel about this trilogy of books. These are excellent books, among the best books I have read about these issues. But I have read many of the same books these authors have. I know where the ideas behind the quotes are coming from. In large part, there are Black and Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) that have done the background thinking. Or they have done the individual mentoring that is required for almost every White person that is writing in areas like this. All three of these authors are citing their sources, highlighting the work of others that has helped them to see what they did not see before. They are telling good stories that hopefully will be read and help change other White people as well. But each time I read one of these books (and many others as well) I am reminded that generally, White people read other White people and the standard books being cited among these types of books, the BIPOC authors and ministry leaders that have done the background work, will not be read as much as these White authors will.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">The Myth of the American Dream is a great book. But so was <a href="http://bookwi.se/twelve-lies/">Twelves Lies that Hold America Captive</a> and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Unsettling-Truths-Dehumanizing-Doctrine-Discovery-ebook/dp/B07V7ZXT1R/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1A69G68IS3M2G&amp;dchild=1&amp;keywords=mark+charles&amp;qid=1588647607&amp;sprefix=mark+Charles%2Caps%2C157&amp;sr=8-1">Unsettling Truth</a> or dozens of other books that have not gained a widespread audience. Buy and read and learn from DL Mayfield's book. And then read the many books that she cites and has learned from so that we can start communicating to publishers and bookstores that White readers will read books that were written by people that are not White.</p>

It is a weird experience to read D.L. Mayfield's "The Myth of the American Dream: Reflections on Affluence, Autonomy, Safety, and Power" while hunkered down alone in my three-bedroom home located in one of the rougher areas of Indianapolis's Eastside.

Not quite in my mid-50's, I'm a paraplegic/double amputee who has far outlived my life expectancy with spina bifida and who only recently spent 3+ months off work due to amputation of my left leg above the knee.

I work full-time. I own my home. I drive. I'm an activist here in Indianapolis in the area of violence prevention and have helped raise upwards of a million bucks for charities worldwide.

Yet, the lesson I learn time and time again in life is that I'm disposable.

A Catholic priest told my mother shortly after my birth that it was "God's will" that I die. No kidding.

Time after time after time in my life, my greatest efforts have still often led to exclusion and separation and segregation and somehow always being "less than" others.

I have had relationships end because I could not be the man they wanted me to be. I've, quite literally, lost body parts because mine were deemed of lesser value.

I have, I am embarrassed to admit, spent most of my life pushing myself to the point of self-harm simply trying to be "enough."

Yet, I am never enough. I am told this time and time and time again.

I sought the American Dream, or at least some version of it, but consistently found myself sitting in my wheelchair outside what felt like an impenetrable chain-link fence with the American Dream somewhere out of reach up some inaccessible stairway.

With "The Myth of the American Dream," Mayfield explores what she perceives to be the central values of the American Dream - Affluence, Autonomy, Safety, and Power. Writing essays wrapped around each of these values, Mayfield delves into an examination of whether or not these values, or better spoken "The American Dream," is truly compatible with the teachings of Jesus Christ.

It should be no secret the conclusion that she reaches.

"The Myth of the American Dream" is a critique of what has become known as the American Dream and of what has become, far too often, recognized as the contemporary Christian journey. It is also, however, a critique that Mayfield turns within as she's never hesitant to turn that societal microscope on herself and to point out her own mistakes, flaws, weaknesses, and inconsistencies.

"The Myth of the American Dream" will most resonate with those who appreciate a more progressive Christian theology, though "red letter" Christians will also find much to embrace here. Those who follow a prosperity theology, think Joel Osteen, will likely reject the thoughts put forth here while others will find both food for thought and bristling conflicts.

"The Myth of the American Dream" is a weaving together of biblical teaching, personal testimony, and a probing, not particularly gently, of the systemic ways in which living the Christian life can and should conflict with attaining of affluence, autonomy, safety, and power.

Mayfield, a pastor's daughter and acclaimed author of "Assimilate or Go Home," has spent much of her adult life living within Muslim communities abroad and, more recently, working with Muslim refugees here in the U.S. Along the way, she has observed the myriad of ways in which the American dream is rigged and exclusive of those who don't fit within the majority culture. As a middle class white woman, Mayfield is acutely aware that she is both part of the problem and part of the solution.

It is a powerful experience to read "The Myth of the American Dream" in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic that has, indeed, derailed the American dream for thousands of citizens. We are learning first-hand about the inequities of the system, some of which we knew and some which are far greater than we'd ever imagined. While I've long experienced that sense of being disposable, we're caught up now very much in this conflict between those who want to tread lightly as we learn about the virus and deal with its impact and those for whom the risk is lower and the desire to "open America" is greater.

Almost without exception, or so it seems, those supporting "opening up" are those for whom the socioeconomic system is naturally biased toward quite intentionally. Refugees are not being welcomed in order to "protect America" while those already at great risk in the U.S. are having their concerns disregarded or are simply being regarded as disposable.

"They're going to die soon anyway," we so frequently hear.

At times, I longed for Mayfield to delve deeper into the issues being presented. While she writes about those refugees seeking safety and fleeing violence or corruption or poverty, there's little time given to those who come simply seeking their own piece of what they perceive to be the "American Dream." At times, it seems like Mayfield practically idolizes the cultures of others yet fails to recognize their own flaws, weaknesses, and even those things that contributed to people fleeing their birth homes. Every culture, I would counter, struggles with the balance of some sort of "dream" and every culture struggles with affluence, autonomy, safety, and power yet Mayfield spends most of her time writing about why the American dream has become misdirected yet, somehow, the cultures from which people come are somehow preferable.

There are, of course, legitimate observations to be made. In fact, for the most part I agree with a good majority of Mayfield's conclusions. I simply wish she'd spent more time in exploring why people leave a culture that would seem to be much more theologically sound for a society that she is claiming is not. What's the difference? Even for those forced to leave due to war or violence, why do they choose the U.S.?

At times, as well, I thought the debate became somewhat muddled between whether the true concern is the American dream itself or the lack of equity to pursue it. Mayfield makes it clear that Jesus himself benefited from those who had wealth and certainly was known to party, yet there are times when "The Myth of the American Dream" seems to admonish the actual dream while later arguing that the real problem is equity in moving toward it. She confesses that the perfect community is one where everyone has the opportunity to pursue the American dream, essentially the opportunity to have enough, yet she often responds guiltily when she realizes that she has wanted or attained something more individualistic in nature as if somehow "want" is inherently bad.

I wrestled with "The Myth of the American Dream." I wrestled with it mightily and that's a terrific thing. I agreed with it. I disagreed with it. I laughed. I cried. I exclaimed. I researched. I learned. I felt admonished. I felt convicted. I looked inward. I did pretty much all the things one should do after reading a book like "The Myth of the American Dream" and I wrestle with these words still. Truthfully, I've changed my rating for the book several times even while writing this review, always vacillating between 4 and 5-stars and desperately wanting a 4.5 rating to be available because I can't help but think this is a book everyone should read precisely because it will lead to self-examination, open discussions, and lots of necessary learning.

Ultimately, "The Myth of the American Dream: Reflections on Affluence, Autonomy, Safety, and Power" is a book I loved, though it's also a book that I wished had gone deeper and a book that, at times, revealed an unacknowledged privilege from which the writer writes and shares perspectives. Nevertheless, this is a beautifully written book that I will undoubtedly read again and will undoubtedly encourage others to read. It's likely a book that will continue to inform my theological life and my own personal beliefs and practices as a "disposable" adult with a disability who both understands the oppressive nature of the socioeconomic system here in the U.S. and the ways that even within my own challenges I remain privileged by it.

"The Myth of the American Dream" will be released by InterVarsity Press on May 5th.

The book The Myth of the American Dream is both a memoir of the experiences of the author and a critique of the American Dream. It describes how the author’s life has been impacted by her immigrant and refugee neighbors while she learns to challenge some of the dominant ideas of white American evangelicalism. I thought the book was strongest when Mayfield described her own experiences. It offered a unique perspective that I could relate to. However, I thought that the analysis in the book was repetitive of other sources. Still, I appreciated that the book included the perspectives of a wide variety of voices, especially women and people of color. I would recommend this book to people as an introduction to the idea of a Christian perspective on challenging the American Dream.

This is the book I want to buy for all my friends and family for Christmas this year. After finishing reading it in two days, I immediately preordered a copy for my mom and sisters.
Why did I love it so much? This book challenged me to reevaluate the narrative of U.S. history I've been taught, as well as the ways in which I have oriented myself toward affluence, autonomy, safety, and power.
Mayfield sets up the framework for her book by writing, "I am being changed by my relationship to people who are exiles from the American Dream--those who have no way to win or who have been excluded from the very beginning...The more I try to follow Jesus, the more I realize that if the gospel isn't good news for the poor, the imprisoned, the brokenhearted, and the oppressed, then it isn't good news for me either."
She goes on to share powerful stories of her refugee and immigrant neighbors who have changed the way she sees the American Dream. She repeatedly recognizes her neighbors as teachers, explaining how their lived experiences of trauma and vulnerability have educated her on the systematic injustice that prevails in the U.S.
Mayfield later explains how her desire to be a do-gooder and make positive change has often resulted in more harmful outcomes. She writes, "Charity can sometimes feel like neighbor love, especially to the one giving it. But all too often it fails to address the roots of poverty. It baptizes the inequality of the world as normal--where some people give charity and others receive it, and it will always be so. The trouble with this narrative, born of affluence, is that we don't see these disparities, this hierarchy we have created, until it is much too late." As someone who longs to make a difference and feel needed, I resonated with the critical lesson Mayfield learned: sustainable impact demands the long, difficult, and unglamorous work of fighting systematic injustice. More importantly, it requires laying down our own "American Dream" of affluence, autonomy, safety, and power.
In addition to sharing stories from her personal life, Mayfield often brings in biblical stories and explores uncommon readings of them. One of my favorite biblical narratives Mayfield brought up was God's provision of manna to the Israelites in the desert. She pushes back against the typical Sunday School interpretation of the story, which tends to victimize the Israelites. Mayfield writes, "Manna, bread given new every morning, was sent with strict instructions: no hoarding was allowed, no one was allowed to stockpile, to sell, to incur debts against their neighbors....Those years in the wilderness with that sweet, ethereal bread was a forty-year relearning process, a reset on what the world is supposed to look like, how societies are supposed to be ordered." Mayfield's perspective felt quite timely as I was reading the book in the midst of the Covid-19 spread and watching the youngest and most wealthy members of my community hoard resources like toilet paper and hand sanitizer, while the most elderly and vulnerable population have struggled to gain access to the resources they need. It made me ask myself, "In what ways do I fear scarcity? In what ways do I hoard resources? How are my actions affecting my most vulnerable neighbors?"
Although I have so many other powerful quotes and concepts I'd love to share from this book, I want to keep my review fairly brief and let you read the book yourself. I'll wrap up my review by sharing two of my favorite questions Mayfield asks: First, she asks, "What exactly does it mean to love a neighborhood, to adopt it, to help it, to fix it, when you wouldn't actually ever move into it?"
A bit later, she asks, "Someone's kids have to attend the worst school in your city. In your mind whose kids should that be?" Dang. Both of these questions were SO helpful for me to reckon with. Though I have verbally claimed I want to make a difference and have participated in short-term volunteerism, I have simultaneously take steps like attending a private university and moving into an expensive, "safe" apartment complex, decisions that positioned me farther from the communities I said I cared about. Her questions have given me a lot to chew on.
Please read this book. Read it if you want to learn about the U.S. history that did not make the history books. Read it if you want to feel a bit uncomfortable. Read it if you want to be inspired by stories of kindness and neighbors. Read it if you want to grieve at the pervasive injustice in the U.S. Read it if you want to grapple with your own privilege. Read it if you sense that things are not as they should be in the world, but you want to have hope that healing is possible.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Hi, I'm Carl. I'm an American. I'm a Christian. I'm White. I'm male. Why is this important? Because it means that in "The Myth of the American Dream," by D.L. Mayfield steps on pretty much every toe I have and then manages to get a finger or two in there in the process. Mayfield's book is one that you'll likely either love or hate, but either way I would say it's one you need to read. Especially if you're someone a bit like me.

Mayfield tackles a number of of topics revolving around affluence, autonomy, safety, and power in the empire that is America which is never an easy topic. Thankfully, she does this with a both a needed bluntness and loving sense of grace through her own life and formation. Rather than pile on facts upon facts and bits of history on history (though that is all included as well), Mayfield takes you through bits of her own life and experiences that have helped up wake up to a few unfortunate truths that tend to come along with growing up as a White evangelical in America. At least for me, it seems a bit of a better approach for Mayfield to help guide you through some issues as more of a concerned friend who may only be slightly pushier about it than some of your high school friends who have suddenly contacted you about their newest MLM (that's meant in kindness and appreciation FYI), but it works better than perhaps a lofty and scholarly approach would.

Mayfield is a "boots on the ground" person as well which helps. Check out her first book as well and it doesn't take long to see that she's working to put her money where her mouth is, literally and figuratively. Again, the book has a lot added to it as you recognize that Mayfield is out there doing the work and that certainly adds to the credibility of the book.

I'd have to say *spoiler alert everyone* that my favorite part was the end, in which Mayfield mentions some of the work that others are doing that she knows. Yes, the fact that she talks about a tall man named Carl really caught my attention though it ended up not being about me, but she wraps up her Feeny-esque talks in a very Feeny way (yes, I'm writing this during the COVID-19 lockdown during which my wife has been watching a number of episodes of Boy Meets World while I type this) moving from a much stricter "talkin' to" to a much softer reminder of all the ways people really are making a difference in very normal ways we can all join into.

Without a doubt you will likely not see eye to eye with Mayfield on some topics. and you'll probably have some sore toes after reading it, but I would still say that just about any American at the least could greatly benefit from this book.

I received a copy of the book from Netgalley for free for an honest review.

Jesus "came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written,

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor.
He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives,
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set free those who are oppressed,
To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.”

And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

Luke 4:16-21 [NASB]


This is the passage that D. L. Mayfield begins her book with. It speaks of flourishing for the poor, the captives, the blind, the oppressed, and the favorable year of the Lord (Jubilee). Throught out her book she weaves the fibers of the Biblical text and her experiences of trying to incarnate the texts in her daily life. She reflects on the difficulties stemming from being born of privilege, and the myths that come along with it. The end result is a beautifully woven narrative that reflects the Kingdom of God on Earth as it is in Heaven. The fabric though flawed in parts, due to our fallen state, still displays the beauty of human relationships in community and restorative justice as we pitch our tents in proximity, and action toward shalom with those many would refer to as "other".

She writes, "The only way to learn to both identify our longing for and live into shalom is by being in relationship to those who are the most affected by broken systems and broken relationships. Exiles, or the stranger or the foreigner, are a part of the triad of the vulnerable— including widows and orphans —that the Scriptures constantly tell the people of God to care for.

She asks two important questions to those who of us professing to be Christians. "Are we okay with the way our world works? Or do we long to see a different dream start to grow?"

Reading her book leaves you with the longing to "see a different dream" and "start to grow". To not be a part of constructing dividing walls, but tearing them down and be a part of reflecting the Kingdom of God on Earth as it is in Heaven.

While Mayfield makes some very important arguments for the health of the American Church, I felt her approach and some of her theological conclusions would alienate more conservative Christians. As a writer myself who seeks to challenge the assumptions and deep-seeded biases of the conservative tradition I grew up in (and unlike Mayfield still consider myself a part of) I felt The Myth of the American Dream unfortunately lacked the wisdom and restraint to earn a hearing from most Evangelical Christians. I lament this, because the message that safety, autonomy, power, and wealth are not God is a message we desperately need to hear.

D. L. Mayfield is a writer and teaches English to immigrants, mostly refugees, in Portland, Oregon. She grew up in a conservative evangelical Christian family and was homeschooled. Although still a Christian, she has rejected her former background and would now consider herself a left=wing progressivist Christian. In my opinion this book trashes American history and culture. Capitalism is bad, all whites are privileged and should make up for the sins of our ancestors.

One quote stands out to me " If you had asked me what Jesus came to do, growing up the daughter of a pastor I would have said he came to die and pay the price for the sins of those who believe in him. A few years ago I realized something: that is not actually how Jesus defined his own life and work." Umm, excuse me, that is the purpose for Jesus' life and death. He and his early followers were not protestors intent on overthrowing the Roman government.

I agree with Mayfield that our American ancestors were not perfect. Wiping out native Americans, slavery and denying women their rights was wrong. Many of our American ancestors, even the Christian ones, were blind to their own sins. I do not think we should discount the good aspects of American history, though. As Christians of course we should do everything we can to help the disadvantaged around us. The progressivist solutions of open borders and socialism are not the ways to make up for the sins of our forefathers. Nikki Haley and Tim Scott, from my state of South Carolina, are examples of conservative minorities working to improve our government, not throw it out.

Mayfield does a good job of pointing out the faults of America past and present. Her best chapter is the appendix where she discusses a munger of people helping to improve the lives of those around them. A writer who does a better job of sharing how to live as a Christian in America is Shannan Martin in her books The Ministry of Ordinary Places and Falling Free. If you want to feel bad about America and yourself as a Christian, read this book.

I received a complementary copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is such an important book. It graciously and kindly tackles incredibly hard things, while not glossing over anything. I cannot possible recommend this more.