The U.S. Senator—one of America''s most influential progressives—discusses why so many middle-class Americans encounter so much financial trouble.In this classic analysis of hard-pressed families, Senator Elizabeth Warren and scholars Teresa A. Sullivan and Jay Lawrence Westbrook discover that financial stability for many middle-class Americans is all too fragile. The authors consider the changing cultural and economic factors that threaten financial security and what they imply for the future vitality of the middle class. A new preface examines the persistent and new threats that have emerged since the original publication."[A] fascinating, alarming study. . . . [This] chilling diagnosis of middle-class affliction demonstrates that we all may be only a job loss, medical problem or credit card indulgence away from the downward spiral leading to bankruptcy." —Publishers Weekly"A well-designed and carefully executed study." —Andrew Greeley, University of Chicago"A well-written work of social science that is about as gripping as the genre gets, forces us to reevaluate notions about consumerism." —American Prospect
