{"product_id":"squeezed-why-our-families-cant-afford-america-9780062412263","title":"Squeezed: Why Our Families Can't Afford America","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOne of TIME's Best New Books to Read This Summer\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"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.\"\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e -- Barbara Ehrenreich, author of \u003cem\u003eNickel and Dimed\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFamilies today are squeezed on every side--from high childcare costs and harsh employment policies to workplaces without paid family leave or even dependable and regular working hours. Many realize that attaining the standard of living their parents managed has become impossible.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAlissa 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eInterlacing 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. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWritten\u003cem\u003e \u003c\/em\u003ein the spirit of Barbara Ehrenreich and Jennifer Senior, \u003cem\u003e Squeezed\u003c\/em\u003e is an eye-opening page-turner. Powerfully argued, deeply reported, and ultimately hopeful, it casts a bright, clarifying light on families struggling to thrive in an economy that holds too few options. It will make readers think differently about their lives and those of their neighbors.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eQuart, Alissa:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAlissa Quart \u003c\/strong\u003eis the author of four previous books of nonfiction, including \u003cem\u003eSqueezed \u003c\/em\u003eand \u003cem\u003eBranded\u003c\/em\u003e, and two books of poetry. She is the executive director of the Economic Hardship Reporting Project and writes for publications including the \u003cem\u003eGuardian\u003c\/em\u003e, the\u003cem\u003e Washington Post\u003c\/em\u003e, and the \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e. Her honors include an Emmy, a Nieman Fellowship, and Columbia University's Journalism School Alumna of the Year. She lives with her family in Brooklyn.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ecco Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50652082733330,"sku":"9780062412263","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_538fb2ec-05e9-497e-aef2-99c5ed56668c.jpg?v=1733317114","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/squeezed-why-our-families-cant-afford-america-9780062412263","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}