Down the Up Escalator: How the 99 Percent Live in the Great Recession
In Garson’s 1977 book, All the Livelong Day, she used interviews with ordinary Americans to explore the ways the labor market and the structure of the economy itself were changing in fundamental ways. Relying again on interviews with men and women from various strata of the economy, the author now explores the effects the current recession is having on individuals, families, and the way employers and workers view their futures. There is, naturally, the sense that the days of job security and economic stability are gone forever, but what might surprise some readers is the thread of optimism that runs through the book. Many of the interviewees, even those who have been out of work for extended periods of time, have a positive outlook: their situations might be far from ideal, but they’ve found ways to keep going, to enjoy their lives. Other books about the recession might be more analytical, but this one allows readers to hear from the men and women whose lives have been directly affected. --David Pitt