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4.25 AVERAGE
4.25 AVERAGE
Interesting structure to talk about a lot of the problems facing the low-income and middle class in the US through the perspective of what happened to the kids on one school bus.
I thought this book was a fantastic look into the Opioid crisis, the American healthcare system, and the unemployment issues in America. This book felt very personal and offered also of research to go along with it.
slow-paced
4.0.
Tightrope follows the stories of family friends and community members of Nicholas Kristoff in Yamhill, Oregon. It seeks to explain the interconnected web of poverty, job loss, homelessness, the breakdown of traditional family structure, and poor healthcare and childcare programs which have lead to the decline of the working class, the opioid epidemic, and increasing income disparity today.
I enjoyed reading about the individuals' stories the most, which offered a personal face to overarching greater issues. The authors do well in pointing out that these individuals fail to thrive due to a systemic issue rather than a solely personal one. Although a bit redundant at times, the book drives home the message of America's need for a compassion overhaul to reform society and provide a better safety net for our brothers and sisters.
Tightrope follows the stories of family friends and community members of Nicholas Kristoff in Yamhill, Oregon. It seeks to explain the interconnected web of poverty, job loss, homelessness, the breakdown of traditional family structure, and poor healthcare and childcare programs which have lead to the decline of the working class, the opioid epidemic, and increasing income disparity today.
I enjoyed reading about the individuals' stories the most, which offered a personal face to overarching greater issues. The authors do well in pointing out that these individuals fail to thrive due to a systemic issue rather than a solely personal one. Although a bit redundant at times, the book drives home the message of America's need for a compassion overhaul to reform society and provide a better safety net for our brothers and sisters.
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Brutal. If you’re interested in politics and educating yourself on why better policies are imperative to change in the US, this is a good book. Took me almost a year to finish because it’s just so hard to read what a cruel country we’ve become.
Excellent, eye-opening #nonfiction on the state of America and the uphill battles faced by disadvantaged citizens. I found many chapters illuminating and realized we must do better as a country. Addiction, lack of healthcare, few jobs, + other factors all contribute to increased poverty and poor quality of life. Other topics: lack of resources for children, and prioritizing funds for prisons over intervention programs for crime. These issues are illuminated using real-world examples of individuals' struggles. Many of the accounts are from Yamhill, Oregon, where one of the authors came of age.
"Talent is universal. Opportunity is not."
This was a difficult book to read simply because it was a well argued and extensively researched book about the incredible damage that rising income inequality is doing to our country.
Personally, I felt that the authors did an incredible job, and while I was a little overwhelmed by the scale of the issues they were describing, I appreciated their resistance to simple solutions, which was something I struggled with in their previous book, [b:Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide|6260997|Half the Sky Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide|Nicholas D. Kristof|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320486170l/6260997._SX50_.jpg|6444203].
This book is also definitely biased, although even here, I think they do a good job of sticking to the economics and the numbers and resisting the politicization of these issues.
My one major issue is that while this book is surprisingly easy to read given the incredible amount of economic and policy explanations they get into, the balance between anecdotes and policy can feel heavy handed and clunky at times. Plus, the level of repetition in anecdotal sections is sometimes frustrating (I got really sick of the Number 6 Bus).
Overall, this hit me hard on a personal level and I got a lot out of it. I would guess that most Americans would also benefit from reading it, but I think the writing and the political bias is likely to make it polarizing to some.
This was a difficult book to read simply because it was a well argued and extensively researched book about the incredible damage that rising income inequality is doing to our country.
Personally, I felt that the authors did an incredible job, and while I was a little overwhelmed by the scale of the issues they were describing, I appreciated their resistance to simple solutions, which was something I struggled with in their previous book, [b:Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide|6260997|Half the Sky Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide|Nicholas D. Kristof|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320486170l/6260997._SX50_.jpg|6444203].
This book is also definitely biased, although even here, I think they do a good job of sticking to the economics and the numbers and resisting the politicization of these issues.
My one major issue is that while this book is surprisingly easy to read given the incredible amount of economic and policy explanations they get into, the balance between anecdotes and policy can feel heavy handed and clunky at times. Plus, the level of repetition in anecdotal sections is sometimes frustrating (I got really sick of the Number 6 Bus).
Overall, this hit me hard on a personal level and I got a lot out of it. I would guess that most Americans would also benefit from reading it, but I think the writing and the political bias is likely to make it polarizing to some.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
All Americans should read this contemporary study of poverty and desperation in our country so we can all work towards change. Especially our legislators.
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced