In Too Deep: Class and Mothering in a Flooded Community

In a small Texas neighborhood, Bayou Oaks, affluent mothers have been repeatedly flooded by catastrophic events, but they still believe there is only one place for them to live: Bayou Oaks. In Too Deep, a sociological exploration of climate change's impact on upper-middle-class mothers, reveals why they continued to stay in a place that was becoming increasingly unstable. The mothers dug in and sustained the community, trying to keep social, emotional, and economic instability at bay. The film highlights the intersection of class and place in an unstable physical environment and the price families pay for securing their futures.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 268 pages
Publication date: 21 December 2021
Publisher: University of California Press

In a small Texas neighborhood, an affluent group of mothers has been repeatedly rocked by catastrophic flooding, including the 2015 Memorial Day flood, the 2016 Tax Day flood, and sixteen months later, Hurricane Harvey. Despite these disruptive events, almost all mothers in this neighborhood still believe there is only one place for them to live: Bayou Oaks.

In Too Deep is a sociological exploration of what happens when climate change threatens the carefully curated family life of upper-middle-class mothers. Through in-depth interviews with thirty-six Bayou Oaks mothers whose homes flooded during Hurricane Harvey, Rachel Kimbro reveals why these mothers continued to stay in a place that was becoming more and more unstable. Rather than retreating, the mothers dug in and sustained the community they have chosen and nurtured, trying to keep social, emotional, and economic instability at bay.

In Too Deep provides a glimpse into how class and place intersect in an unstable physical environment and underlines the price families pay for securing their futures.

Weight: 292g
Dimension: 291 x 139 x 22 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780520377738