Second Class

How the Elites Betrayed America's Working Men and Women

De: Batya Ungar-Sargon

Narrado por: Batya Ungar-Sargon

Second Class is the most important book you will read all year. A political realignment is coming, and it’s my hope that the end result will work in favor of our all-too-neglected American working class. When that realignment comes, Batya and her book will help lead the way.—Greg Lukianoff, CEO of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, and co-author of The Coddling of the American Mind

Who is the American working class? Do they still have a fair shot at the American Dream? What do they think about their chances to secure the hallmarks of a middle-class life?

While writing this book, Batya Ungar-Sargon visited states across the nation to speak with members of the American working-class fighting tooth and nail to survive. In Second Class, working-class Americans of all races, political orientations, and occupations share their stories—cleaning ladies, health care aides, cops, truck drivers, fast food workers, electricians, and more. In their own words, these working-class Americans explain the struggles and triumphs of their increasingly precarious lives—as well as what policies they think would improve them. Second Class combines deep reporting with a look at the data and expert opinion on America’s emergent class divide, in which the most basic elements of a secure and stable life are increasingly out of reach for those without a college education.

America has broken its contract with its laboring class. So, how do we get back to the American Dream? How do we once again become the land of opportunity, the promised land where hard work and commitment to family are enough to protect you from poverty? It’s not that hard actually. All it would take, as this book illustrates, is for those in power to once again respect the dignity of work—and the American worker.

©2024 Batya Ungar-Sargon (P)2024 Dreamscape Media

Tough

She attempts to tackle a tough topic. I admire her for breaking tradition to get a the truth.

Very pragmatic book that looks at the class divide and reframes the paradigm

I appreciated the grounded research that went into this. The author is very respectful of working people. The author has the courage to criticize the peerage that she comes from. It is harder to criticize your own clique than someone else’s.

Wonderful insider look into the hopes and dreams and challenges of the hard working class

I loved hearing honest stories of the people who make America great. May we all look for ways to lift them up.

Excellent and important read

Excellent book. Very well written and narration is really strong too. This book should be required reading by every American.

Interesting Perspectives About a Subject Most people don’t talk about.

I loved the personal touch of the book, hearing from such a variety of people. Especially liked how she asked her subjects their thoughts on proposed policy.