Squeezed

Posted on by

One of TIME s Best New Books to Read This Summer Brilliant a keen, elegantly written, and scorching account of the American family today Through vivid stories, sharp analysis and wit, Quart anatomizes the middle class s fall while also offering solutions and hope Barbara Ehrenreich, author of Nickel and DimedFamilies today are squeezed on every side from high childcare costs and harsh employment policies to workplaces without paid family leave or even dependable and regular working hours Many realize that attaining the standard of living their parents managed has become impossible.Alissa Quart, executive editor of the Economic Hardship Reporting Project, examines the lives of many middle class Americans who can now barely afford to raise children Through gripping firsthand storytelling, Quart shows how our country has failed its families Her subjects from professors to lawyers to caregivers to nurses have been wrung out by a system that doesn t support them, and enriches only a tiny elite.Interlacing her own experience with close up reporting on families that are just getting by, Quart reveals parenthood itself to be financially overwhelming, except for the wealthiest She offers real solutions to these problems, including outlining necessary policy shifts, as well as detailing the DIY tactics some families are already putting into motion, and argues for the cultural reevaluation of parenthood and caregiving.Written in the spirit of Barbara Ehrenreich and Jennifer Senior, Squeezed is an eye opening page turner Powerfully argued, deeply reported, and ultimately hopeful, it casts a bright, clarifying light on families struggling to thrive in an economy that holds too few options It will make readers think differently about their lives and those of their neighbors. Free Download Kindle ePUB Squeezed Author Alissa Quart – kino-fada.fr Rating 3.5 starsI ve read several books that focus on the struggles faced by people living in poverty such as Matthew Desmond s Evicted Poverty and Profit in the American City I had not, however, read anything focused on the struggles of those in the middle class, so when I saw this book, I was eager to read it.In Squeezed, Quart shares the difficulties faced by families, from the lower middle class all the way up to the upper middle class Whether they are highly educated or not, each of t Rating 3.5 starsI ve read several books ...I looked forward to reading this book, because income inequality has become an important topic in America I see firsthand the deterioration of the middle class, with professionals often working second jobs in the evening families with two working parents struggling to pay for day care or patch together a network of relatives and friends to provide it because they can t afford it at all and people in their 20s and 30s held hostage to student debt or living with parents or roommates due to hous I looked forward to reading this book, because income inequality has become an important topic in America I see firsthand the deterioration of the middle class, with professionals often working second jobs in the evening families with two working parents struggling to pay for day care or patch together a network of relatives and friends to provide it because they can t afford it at all and people in their 20s and 30s held hostage to student debt or living with parents or roommates due to housing prices Wages haven t kept up with inflation, while the price of education and medical care is skyrocketing and the price of housing is climbing steeply as well The current generation of young people is expected, overall, to earn less than their parents, and people with respectable jobs will tell you they can t afford to have kids This is a mess that certainly deserves a book.Sadly, this is not a good book It s overly focused on the very...3 stars for the educational value, 2 for the conclusions The author is a journalist and knows how to tell a story All of the real life people she interviews demonstrate clearly the challenge of living in our current economy where housing and rent mortgages have been rising while wages have stagnated She shows how this impacts people across the economic spectrum from those with low income to those with upper middle class income I came away understanding why people feel squeezed The challenge 3 stars for the educational value, 2 for the conclusions The author is a journalist and knows how to tell a story All of the real life people she interviews demonstrate clearly the challenge of living in our current economy where housing and rent mortgages have been rising while wages have stagnated She shows how this impacts people across the economic spectrum from those with low income to those with upper middle class income I came away understanding why people feel squeezed ...A primary focus of this book seemed to me to be how very difficult and expensive it has become to have and raise kids in the USA today She did talk about people who have lost jobs in midlife and their struggles to find another job about the gig economy about the rising cost of housing and education and about automation But she always circled back to the costs associated with having children and her own induction into the ranks of squeezed parents She notes that care work is routinely deval A primary focus of this book seemed to me to be how very difficult and expensive it has become to have and raise kids in the USA today She did talk about people who have lost jobs in midlife and their struggles to find another job about the gig economy about the rising cost of housing and education and about automation But she always circled back to the costs associated with having children and her own induction into the ranks of squeezed parents She notes that care ...A really thoughtful look at why it is the middle class is so frequently squeezed why we can t afford houses or luxuries that were once available to our parents and why it is we ll never be as well off as our parents were It s about the value of many industries and how the value has declined specifically, this book looks at things like child care work, teaching, and even law, and how those jobs which were once seen as important are now among the quickest disappearing, least paid, and most ne A really thoughtful look at why it is the middle class is so frequently squeezed why we can t afford houses or luxuries that were once available to our parents and why it is we ll never be as well off as our parents were It s about the value of many industries and how the value has declined specifically, this book looks at things like child care work, teaching, and even law, and how those jobs which were once seen as important are now among the quickest disappearing, least paid, and most needed.What I took away most from this book, though, was something I never spent a lot of time thinking about the power of a universal basic income Quart does a great job of explaining how something like that could really empower people who are in the position of choosing between working and, well, having children or taking care of a sick family member, which are both unpaid...The difficulty in assessing this subject material is that it is clearly a pressing and urgent issue in today s society and family economics I ve asked the question hundreds of times, how can the average family afford rent mortgage, child care, and other essentials in today s America The answer not easily, and not really.Squeezed arrives at that conclusion quickly, and returns to it frequently The differing motifs are a nice touch, but it was really difficult to get an idea of how the diffe The difficulty in assessing this subject material is that it is clearly a pressing and urgent issue in today s society and family economics I ve asked the question hundreds of times, how can the average family afford rent mortgage, child care, and other essentials in today s America The answer not easily, and...Very well researched book on why the average American can t get ahead and guess what It has little to do with personal failings and everything to do with a system that is rigged against us.Quart points out that what causes poverty is A lack of affordable healthcare, B lack of quality and affordable childcare, C lack of affordable housing, D expensive post graduate education and E low wages Dare to complain you re having problems making ends meet and society informs you that you just aren Very well researched book on why the a...There have been a few books out Evicted, Nickel and Dimed, etc that look at poverty, but this book looks at the financial issues of the middle class Quart examines problems of educated people who can t get a job professors, teachers, lawyers, nurses or who simply aren t making enough money, as well as the devaluation of care workers and families At times the book doesn t quite delve into topics as deeply as I d like, but overall it s a great comprehensive look at why so many Americans are There have been a few books out Evicted, Nickel and Dimed, etc that look at poverty, but this book looks ...Over educated and underpaid while being devalued without job security is at the nations core of the middle class.Many of us are a step away from poverty if not already there and are struggling to survive while the motto goes around for the top 1% claiming to Make America Great Again but for who This book challenges the notion that America is not great with taxation being the main problem along with high childcare, no paid maternity family leave, unattainable higher education programs colleges do Over educated and underpaid while being devalued without job security is at the nations core of the middle class.Many of us are a step away from poverty if not already there and are struggling to survive while the motto goes around for the top 1% claiming to Make America Great Again but for who This book challenges the notion that America is not great with taxation being the main problem along with high childcare, no paid maternity family leave, unattainable higher education programs colleges do to costs, housing market has blown up location location location and so much .The problem is we need living wages not peanuts We need job security not bouncing from one to another job.We need affordable health care.All this andis addressed with real life situations and problems being tackled.Loved it all as I myself live below poverty with my 3 kids with a dual masters and then some including a Points of Light Volunteer court...This was kind of a scary and sad read.Scary because it s horrible that so many people are unemployed underemployed at a time in life when they should be closer to retirement age Sad because, according to this book, a lot of the same people are going back to school and going further into debt, and the result doesn t always mean ending up with a well paying job.A lot of this book was focused on the struggles of parents, especially working women As someone who is childfree I m thankful about not This was kind of a scary and sad read.Scary because it s horrible that so many people are unemployed underemployed at a time in life when they should be closer to retirement age Sad because, according to this book, a lot of the same people are going back to school and going further into debt, and the result doesn t always mean ending up with a well paying job.A lot of this book was focused on the struggles of parents, especially working women As someone who is childfree I m thankful about not being in a similar position described by the parents It seems incredibly tough That said, at what point does someone look around say Hey, maybe having a child in my current...

Squeezed
  • 13 August 2018
  • ebook
  • 320 pages
  • 0062412272
  • Alissa Quart
  • Squeezed