Books focusing on subject matter with which one has basic familiarity are more easily understood than works farther afield: One can cut through nonsense which might intrude otherwise, mastering information therein.
The few shortcomings in Casey Shin's "From Nothing to Nissan: Industrial Policy in Mississippi" are inconsequential, thereby. Longterm Mississippians see beyond the lacunae.
The history covers much not needing to be shared with likely purchasers of the history: We are painfully aware that Mississippi was forever 50th in every conceivable category, education was inadequate, and jobs available required brawn rather than brains.
The explanation of Gov. Hugh White's Balance Agriculture with Industry (BAWI) adds nuance that might've been ignored in fifth grade Mississippi history class. White was mayor of Columbia prior to his first term as governor and accomplished statewide what he promoted in Columbia previously.
(My godfather once said that there were supposedly four millionaires in Mississippi "when a million dollars was worth a million dollars," one of whom was Hugh White. White did not enter government service without business sense, granting that corporate mindsets never substitute for political acumen.)
The Nissan plant is the antithesis of what previously existed: Capable, trained workers are required in state-of-the-art 21st century industrial facilities. Convincing corporate executives that a state with no record of a highly functioning labor force would be a safe bet was a hard sell.
Alabama, Kentucky, South Carolina and Tennessee had attracted foreign automobile manufacturers wishing to produce cars stateside. Mississippi was a perennial also-ran.
Ronnie Musgrove's term as governor changed the narrative, though that did not ensure Musgrove's electoral benefit. He received insufficient credit for the accomplishment. That is not to say that mistakes were not made, which is where being of the place, recognizing what goes unsaid and possessing an ability to read between the lines proves useful.
The book begins by noting, "If you take a trip … into the heart of the state of Mississippi, you will see lots of flat grasslands. During the early springtime, you might be lucky enough to see the countryside filled with lovely purple and orange flowers of many different shades peppering the landscape. During the summer, the state is a wonderful showcase of a luscious greenery illuminated by the hot Southern sun. Both are truly beautiful sights."
Except near the Nissan plant. Those attracting a car plant to Gluckstadt were so enamored of their achievement that they ignored Mississippi's enviably lush semitropical landscape, which demands showcasing.
I went to Detroit in May 2025 and, during the time there, travelled to Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids, and Lansing. I need zero fingers to count the number of factories seen alongside freeways while driving through a Rust Belt state.
Industrial sites are not high-end developments correctly hidden from sight. Mississippi was so late to the game and so eager to catch up that it compromised its unsullied beauty to advertise industrial intrusion that many states do not desire, preferring to attract nonpolluting technological production, utilizing intellectual capital.
Shin misses the opportunity to provide some trenchant analysis and deep insight. While he recognizes that Mississippi obtained a manufacturing plant, the workforce of which required education and skill, he neglects to note that efforts to champion public education are in retreat and that school vouchers could eviscerate public education in Mississippi.
The author also could have mentioned various other vortices that might undermine governmental stimuli designed to train disadvantaged Americans to advance economically, the elimination of any one of which could compromise programs rescuing have-nots from penury.
Superficial examination of the successful courting of Nissan weakens what might have been a riveting history.
Most Mississippians can see past issues and comprehend recent history notwithstanding shortcomings. My enthusiasm for "From Nothing to Nissan" is not unlimited, yet the history shall prove wholly satisfying to people capable of overcoming issues in the narrative.
University Press of Mississippi
— Jay Wiener is a Jackson attorney.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Story of the Nissan plant covers much ground