Synopses & Reviews
Foreword by Senator John Edwards
An urgent examination of the lives of millions of hardworking Americans--neither poor nor middle class--who live without a safety net
The Missing Class gives voice to the 54 million Americans--including 21 percent of the nation's children--who are sandwiched between poor and middle class. While government programs help the needy and politicians woo the more fortunate, the Missing Class is largely invisible and ignored. Through the experiences of nine families, Katherine Newman and Victor Tan Chen trace the unique problems faced by individuals in this large and growing demographic--the near poor--who have transformed their lives through hard work and determination.
The question for the Missing Class is not whether they're doing better than the truly poor--they are. The question is whether these individuals--on the razor's edge of subsistence--are safely ensconced in the Missing Class or in danger of losing it all. An eloquent argument for the need to think about inequality in a broader way, The Missing Class has much to tell us about whether the American dream still exists for those willing to sacrifice for it.
A vivid, close-up, and often moving look at the urban 'near poor.' --Barbara Ehrenreich
The Missing Class is a call to action to change America. --Senator John Edwards
Newman and Chen contribute significantly to the dialogue on America's widening inequities. --Publishers Weekly
Just above the artificial 'poverty line, ' millions of hard-working people struggle invisibly to gain a foothold on the promise of the American Dream. Their raw hardships and persistent hopes, collected in this book of unflinchingportraits, ought to sound the alarm for an America grown complacent.
--David Shipler, author of The Working Poor: Invisible in America
Synopsis
This urgent examination of the lives of millions of hardworking Americans--neither poor nor middle class, but who live without a safety net--gives voice to the 57 million Americans who are sandwiched between the poor and middle classes.
Synopsis
Named one of the Best Business Books of 2007 by
Library JournalThe Missing Class gives voice to the 54 million Americans, including 21 percent of the nation's children, who are sandwiched between poor and middle class. While government programs help the needy and politicians woo the more fortunate, the "Missing Class" is largely invisible and ignored. Through the experiences of nine families, Katherine Newman and Victor Tan Chen trace the unique problems faced by individuals in this large and growing demographic-the "near poor." The question for the Missing Class is not whether they're doing better than the truly poor-they are. The question is whether these individuals, on the razor's edge of subsistence, are safely ensconced in the Missing Class or in danger of losing it all. The Missing Class has much to tell us about whether the American dream still exists for those who are sacrificing daily to achieve it.
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About the Author
Katherine Newman is professor of sociology and James Knapp Dean of the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences at Johns Hopkins University. Author of ten books on middle-class economic instability, urban poverty, and the sociology of inequality, Newman has taught at the University of California-Berkeley, Columbia, Harvard, and Princeton.
Victor Tan Chen is the founding editor and president of INTHEFRAY Magazine (http://inthefray.org/), an award-winning publication that seeks to question, inform, and inspire conversations about identity and community. His work has appeared in numerous publications, including Newsday and the Minority Law Journal, and in the book Chutes and Ladders. He is a Harvard doctoral candidate in sociology and social policy.
From the Hardcover edition.