Chasing the American Dream: Understanding What Shapes Our Fortunes

Rank, Mark Robert; Hirschl, Thomas A.; Foster, Kirk A.

3.67

54 ratings by Goodreads

9781522692935: Chasing the American Dream: Understanding What Shapes Our Fortunes

ISBN 10: 1522692932 ISBN 13: 9781522692935

Publisher: Audible Studios on Brilliance audio, 2016

The United States has been epitomized as a land of opportunity, where hard work and skill can bring personal success and economic well-being. The American Dream has captured the imagination of people from all walks of life, and to many, it represents the heart and soul of the country. But there is another, darker side to the bargain that America strikes with its people—it is the price we pay for our individual pursuit of the American Dream. That price can be found in the economic hardship present in the lives of millions of Americans. In Chasing the American Dream, leading social scientists Mark Robert Rank, Thomas A. Hirschl, and Kirk A. Foster provide a new and innovative look into a curious dynamic—the tension between the promise of economic opportunities and rewards and the amount of turmoil that Americans encounter in their quest for those rewards. The authors explore questions such as:

What percentage of Americans achieve affluence, and how much income mobility do we actually have?
Are most Americans able to own a home, and at what age?
How is it that nearly 80 percent of us will experience significant economic insecurity at some point between ages 25 and 60?
How can access to the American Dream be increased?

Combining personal interviews with dozens of Americans and a longitudinal study covering 40 years of income data, the authors tell the story of the American Dream and reveal a number of surprises. The risk of economic vulnerability has increased substantially over the past four decades, and the American Dream is becoming harder to reach and harder to keep. Yet for most Americans, the Dream lies not in wealth, but in economic security, pursuing one's passions, and looking toward the future. Chasing the American Dream provides us with a new understanding into the dynamics that shape our fortunes and a deeper insight into the importance of the American Dream for the future of the country.

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Review:

inspiring read. (Angelia Wilson, Times Higher Education)

Chasing the American Dream is accessible to those who do not have a sociology background. It is also relatively free of academic jargon, easy to read, and provides a wide variety of evidence. Moreover, the text offers a wide range of interesting and useful policy suggestions ... Overall, this book is quite compelling and is useful for cultural studies scholars as a context for understanding how the rhetorical concept of "The American Dream" has stayed relatively static-and immensely powerful-amidst ever-changing social and economic conditions. (Patrick Kent Russell, Journal of American Culture)

A necessary and captivating account of the status of the American Dream that will be of considerable interest to all those who aim to achieve their own definition of it and to all those with an interest in the United States of America. (Benjamin Harvey Sporle, U.S Studies Online)

About the Author:

MRR: PhD, Herbert S. Hadley Professor of Social WelfareWashington University in St. Louis TAH: PhD, Professor of Development Sociology, Director, Cornell Population and Development ProgramCornell University KAF: PhD, Professor, College of Social Work; University of South Carolina

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