American Dream at its wit's end

Author: Barbara Ehrenreich
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-10-01
Features: Once, they were the respectable people we pursued, with good education and decent income. Suddenly, this balanced world disappeared, and the glamorous life was no more. A New York Times Bestselling Author's New Work! A Real Experience in the World. Dedicated to Those Preparing to Join or Already in the World. New York Times Bestselling Author Barbara Ehrenreich adopts her unique "experience" approach, exploring and documenting a "hidden kingdom" in American society: the mysterious world of unemployed professionals. With a new identity unknown to anyone and a resume listing a "gap period," Barbara attempts to find a middle-class job. In addition to undergoing various vocational training and personality tests, attending different types of rookie training camps, job fairs, and networking events, Barbara also re packages her self-image and adopts the so-called winning mindset of successful job seekers to adapt to this world full of hope and expectations. What is written in the book is not just about America, but also about you. It's not just the life of professionals, but I believe that in the near future, or even now, it is what everyone is experiencing. The protagonists in the book are those who always do the right thing—those with university degrees, excellent professional skills, and impressive resumes. They once set aside their passion for philosophy and music and immersed themselves in the dry but more practical subjects of management and finance. Now, they are repeatedly financial crises, and the reasons for these crises should not be blamed on the capricious business cycle. Many of them once managed large teams, handled substantial funds, and planned and executed important projects from start to finish—some were even just praised to the skies, but the notice to pack up and leave came like a bolt from the blue. If there is a reliable benchmark for America's decline, it is the unemployed, who "played by the rules" and "did everything right," yet their lives ultimately collapsed. Today, even scientists widely acknowledge that for the middle class, with their well-educated and good-intentioned backgrounds, this dream is becoming increasingly unrealistic. Clearly, this socioeconomic group, once considered too comfortable and powerful to be worth paying attention to, is facing a serious problem. What we once thought was comfort has become torment.