Squeezed

“An eye-opening look at the forces that make it harder than ever for the middle class to survive” (People).

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 Dimed

Families today are squeezed on every side—from nearly unaffordable housing, education, and childcare costs to stagnant wages and the rise of the gig economy. For this generation, attaining the standard of living their parents managed has become nearly 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.

Powerfully argued, deeply reported, and ultimately hopeful, Squeezed casts a bright, clarifying light on families struggling to thrive. It will make readers think differently about their lives and those of their neighbors.

“A profound, sweeping, blistering portrait of hard-working people from all walks of life.” —Astra Taylor, author of The People’s Platform

“Quart is a sympathetic listener, getting people to reveal not just the tenuousness of their economic situations but also the turbulence of their emotional lives . . . We could all use her expert guidance through the maze.” —New York Times