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shirleytupperfreeman's review
Nicholas Kristof grew up riding the #6 school bus in the farm community of Yamhill, OR. He went to Harvard and became a NYT journalist but many of the kids on his bus have already died from alcohol, drugs, diabetes, obesity and reckless living. Kristof and his wife, Sheryl WuDunn, posit that many government and corporate policies over the past few decades have created an untenable situation for millions of working class families. They are careful to acknowledge that some folks have made poor choices but they also write about the various 'escalators' that we as a country used to provide, and some countries still do provide, for folks trying to move up the success ladder. For instance, the GI bill which helped veterans (only white, tragically) get an education and housing after WWII. Using specific people's stories as a launching pad, they write about health care, incarceration, education, housing, jobs, etc. Kristof and WuDunn offer examples of people and programs that are trying to help and they call for many changes in our government and corporate policies. At the end, they suggest 10 things the reader/listener can do to learn more. I will confess that at first, as I was listening to the book while driving around town, I kept turning it off because it felt too depressing and because I didn't find the reader's voice helpful. But I'm glad I kept going - there is a lot of food for thought. Now I've started Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World by Anand Giridharadas to do some comparing and contrasting.
alexisrt's review
4.0
This is a whistle stop tour of what's ailing america, especially the working class. A lot of it is familiar if you read Kristof's columns in the NYT (I picked up the book from the library after reading an excerpt in the Times). Kristof looks in particular at the Oregon town of his childhood, but highlights examples from throughout the country. It's not spectacularly deep--and can't be, with covering so many things in 300 pages--but it hits a lot of points: healthcare, education, jobs, incarceration--and successfully makes the point that we have built this with failed policy and incentives. Voters overrate moral hazard when it comes to the poor, but underrate it for the rich. They are willing to help individuals, but see the poor en masse as willing to cheat (sometimes based on experiences with family). "Personal responsibility" is presented as overriding, and liberals occasionally fall into the trap by de-emphasizing people's decisions to the point where it seems like they're characterizing the poor as solely hapless victims of fate--a characterization that the poor themselves reject. Kristof and WuDunn are careful to show that choices matter, but that luck and birth are major factors in outcomes. As they say, when there's a 20 year difference in life expectancy based solely on place of birth, we can't pin that on choices.
kremian's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
acourtofathalarandwhitethorn's review
5.0
This should be essential readings especially for someone who has never experienced poverty or trauma before. I love that action items were provided at the end.
angeli04's review
5.0
“If you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention.” - Heather Heyer, 2017
Pay attention, America. That’s what this book is telling us. I may not agree with Kristof and WuDunn’s politics and recommendations at times, but that does not change the fact that they have laid out harsh and painful truths in this book. It is not a perfect book, and some people may be turned off by the authors’ obvious left-leaning biases. Why the 5 stars? Because this is NECESSARY. I feel privileged to have the chance to read it.
It talks about topics that we typically shy away from - poverty, drug addiction, healthcare, lack of quality education, mass incarceration, the erosion of our society as a whole, and our failure as a nation through a history of poor policy making that has been continually anti-poor and anti-working class. They further argue that yes, personal responsibility is a factor in an individual’s outcomes in life, but that our failure to be empathetic, to see beyond invidual choices, and acknowledge that we as a society is also partly responsible for a person’s future, further compounds social problems.
It is very painful to read about past and present policy failures and how it has trickled down to America’s poor, children in particular. It is painful to know that here in America, millions still do not have access to quality healthcare, mental health counseling, and basic quality education. It is even more painful to know that research continually shows that only the top 1% has truly benefited from the economic boom but the rest at the bottom 90% has continually done worse. And it seems like politicians, both from the left and right, have failed to listen and keep up with the times. The book calls for drastic action if we are to remain the superpower that we claim to be.
Regardless of your political views, every American should be involved in the conversation about how we can improve the quality of life in this country, invest more in human capital, and create fair opportunities for everyone. At the end of the day, issues like jobs creation, access to quality healthcare, quality education, and drug policies will affect all of us in some way.
This is required reading for every American as far as I am concerned - lawmakers, mentors, educators, businessmen, students, and ordinary people like me who care. Kudos to Kristof and WuDunn for such engaging writing in terms that are easy to understand.
Pay attention, America. That’s what this book is telling us. I may not agree with Kristof and WuDunn’s politics and recommendations at times, but that does not change the fact that they have laid out harsh and painful truths in this book. It is not a perfect book, and some people may be turned off by the authors’ obvious left-leaning biases. Why the 5 stars? Because this is NECESSARY. I feel privileged to have the chance to read it.
It talks about topics that we typically shy away from - poverty, drug addiction, healthcare, lack of quality education, mass incarceration, the erosion of our society as a whole, and our failure as a nation through a history of poor policy making that has been continually anti-poor and anti-working class. They further argue that yes, personal responsibility is a factor in an individual’s outcomes in life, but that our failure to be empathetic, to see beyond invidual choices, and acknowledge that we as a society is also partly responsible for a person’s future, further compounds social problems.
It is very painful to read about past and present policy failures and how it has trickled down to America’s poor, children in particular. It is painful to know that here in America, millions still do not have access to quality healthcare, mental health counseling, and basic quality education. It is even more painful to know that research continually shows that only the top 1% has truly benefited from the economic boom but the rest at the bottom 90% has continually done worse. And it seems like politicians, both from the left and right, have failed to listen and keep up with the times. The book calls for drastic action if we are to remain the superpower that we claim to be.
Regardless of your political views, every American should be involved in the conversation about how we can improve the quality of life in this country, invest more in human capital, and create fair opportunities for everyone. At the end of the day, issues like jobs creation, access to quality healthcare, quality education, and drug policies will affect all of us in some way.
This is required reading for every American as far as I am concerned - lawmakers, mentors, educators, businessmen, students, and ordinary people like me who care. Kudos to Kristof and WuDunn for such engaging writing in terms that are easy to understand.
erincataldi's review
5.0
This book should be required reading. It's insightful, depressing, yet still ultimately hopeful. Pulitzer Prize winning couple write a gut wrenching account of how America has ultimately failed it's people in the last half century through the lens of author Nicholas D. Kristof's hometown, Yamhill and a few other US locations. From a broken education, prison, health system and more; the authors explain how the system used to be, how it is now, and what can be done to fix it to bring the United States back up to speed with the rest of the industrialized first world countries. There are lots of personal stories and photos that really hammer down HOW these policies really affect many Americans. It is very depressing but at the same time the authors make sure to highlight social programs that people have started to combat issues of addiction, homelessness, and college education. It's an enlightening and ultimately inspiring book. Do yourself a favor and read this book before you vote! Then pass on this book to everyone you know!!!!
barbaraskalberg's review against another edition
4.0
I loved the list of things we can do as individuals to help the problems discussed in the book.
larryerick's review against another edition
3.0
Who was this book directed toward? Are there really that many people out there that seriously do not already know about the people written about in this book? Apparently so. That might explain the level of superficiality that, in my opinion, mars the narrative. The detail on individuals highlighted in the book is often quite intimate, but expressions of programs and policies about what to do about the issues involved too often seem haphazard and/or not thoroughly drawn out. It reminded me of co-workers or conference attendees getting together after work or the daily sessions to schmooze about issues at hand, knowing full well the chances of detailed action taking place the next day or the next year was never going to come from what discussion may have been had. Perhaps, the book was aimed directly at the people mentioned in depth in the book and their family and friends in the community. That might explain why so much credit was given for trade skills and loyalty, when those attributes could also be applied to other people with completely malevolent intent. Saying a few nice things about someone is the very least that can be done to get those people to take actions in the best interest of themselves, their family, and their community, isn't it? If this is the book that it takes to get people who can make things better to take earnest steps to solve the problems emphasized in this book, so be it. I don't personally think it's nearly enough.
elisabethstaal's review
4.0
My only critique of this book is that the authors could be more explicit about the role of white privileged in and of itself. Otherwise, this was and extremely well-written novel that gives a painful glimpse into the realities of America and the ways in which our country is failing people in education, affordable housing, healthcare, and vocational training to name a few topics. There were moments of hope through beautifully personal stories of people succeeding despite their circumstances or dedicating their lives to helping others.
ja3m3's review
3.0
[b:Tightrope: Americans Reaching for Hope|45553638|Tightrope Americans Reaching for Hope|Nicholas D. Kristof|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1565398610l/45553638._SX50_.jpg|70323637] is a very compiling look at the the reasons that communities that rely on blue-collar jobs are struggling in the United States and how this has created a large gap between the haves and the have-nots. We are currently living in the "New Gilded Age" and that is not a good thing. I do agree with their reasons: minimum wage has not kept up with inflation, we spend more money on incarceration due to drugs than rehabilitation (which would end up being cheaper) and it isn't working, the opioid crisis has created more addicts, limited funding for at-risk kids, and a broken health insurance system. The authors have even included several statistical supported solutions to help solve these problems.
My problem with the book and why I ended up giving it three stars has to do with the delivery. For example, the authors recant a conversation from a commentator on FOX news and why he doesn't believe some of the above reasons. That's good. It is always important to look at the viewpoint of those that do not agree with you; however, they include an aside that the commentator gave 100,000's of dollars to his mistress and that's why he ended up divorced. Huh? What does that have to do with the struggling poor in the U.S.? The authors do this several times in the book and it comes across as petty and snarky. Give me the facts please - just the facts. These are important issues and we will all need to work together to address and fix the problems that have wounded the United States.
My problem with the book and why I ended up giving it three stars has to do with the delivery. For example, the authors recant a conversation from a commentator on FOX news and why he doesn't believe some of the above reasons. That's good. It is always important to look at the viewpoint of those that do not agree with you; however, they include an aside that the commentator gave 100,000's of dollars to his mistress and that's why he ended up divorced. Huh? What does that have to do with the struggling poor in the U.S.? The authors do this several times in the book and it comes across as petty and snarky. Give me the facts please - just the facts. These are important issues and we will all need to work together to address and fix the problems that have wounded the United States.