The Fragile Middle Class: Americans in Debt

Book Description

More than a million American families now file for federal bankruptcy annually, and many more are perilously close to financial disaster. In this important analysis of hard-pressed families, recently featured in articles in Newsweek, Forbes, Chronicle of Higher Education, and the New York Times, the authors discover that financial stability for many middle-class Americans is all too fragile. The authors consider the changing cultural and economic factors that threaten financial security and what they imply for the future vitality of the middle class.

Customer Reviews:

Further Insight Into The Demography of Bankruptcy.......2007-04-22

In some ways, this is the authors' companion book to their excellent book, As We Forgive Our Debtors. The Fragile Middle Class is less academic than As We Forgive Our Debtors and focuses more on the people who fall into bankruptcy and less on the economics and supporting cast of players (creditors and legal system)that comprise the U.S. bankruptcy system. In this book, the authors could provide reasons for why some individuals find themselves at the mercy of the bankruptcy court. For the time-pressed, Chapter One, Americans in Crisis, aptly summarizes the contents of the book.

The book provides the reader with a comprehensive definition of what it means to be 'middle-class'. It also provides the key socio-economic reasons underlying bankruptcy. These are: income disturbances (which includes unemployment and under-employment), credit cards, illness, divorce and housing. One chapter each is devoted to these reasons. Throughout, the stated goal of the authors was to tell the reader what the portrait of the bankrupt can tell us about the rest of society.

The authors re-affirm the old refrain that economic insecurity has greatly increased in American society. Their work strongly indicates that by far the greatest culprit leading to bankruptcy is job loss, followed by divorce and/or illness. In many cases, as the authors demonstrate, more than one culprit may be at work in a particular bankruptcy.

Perhaps the most interesting thing I noted in reading the book was the juicy little tidbit on credit cards on page 128. While the authors readily admit that mere possession of a credit card will not lead to bankruptcy, they do insist that the level of such revolving debt (for which they define the tipping point toward bankruptcy as short-term debt exceeding one and a half times gross annual income) is critical, and take care to point out that the debts can keep on compounding (at twenty-four percent interest, compounded monthly) long after the cardholder has shredded his or her piece of plastic.

In sum, this book was a very readable introduction to bankruptcy among the middle class. The authors have once again cranked out another excellent study.

DROWNING IN DEBT.......2004-03-07

IN 2OO3, OVER 1.6 MILLION AMERICANS FILED FOR BANKRUPTCY. OVER 33% OF THE AMERICANS THAN OWN A HOME ARE ONE PAYCHECK AWAY FROM FORECLOSURE. Is it that hard to believe that America is fastly becoming a nation of debtors. Even more interesting, the government actually promotes it by slack regulations, unnaturally low interest rates, and a willingness to keep Americans spending. This book does a fantastic job in helping anyone understand just how bad it is, and just how blind we as Americans are to the situation. 4 STARS! - Mason Johnson, President, www.tomorrowsgold.com

Could Happen To You, Could Happen To Me.......2003-05-26

This is not a "sky is falling" or alarmist book. It's not a negative gloom-and-doom book. It does focus on an unwanted event we consider negative, and it does occur in millions of peoples' lives. Da Big "B." It could happen to you, it could happen to me. Authors Sullivan, Warren, and Westbrook have decades of experience in the industry and provide one of the most detailed and accurate pictures of the people and circumstances within it.

In addition to statistics and research, tables, and graphs, the authors conducted detailed surveys of 2,452 people and provided case histories of folks that filed for bankruptcy in the 1990s. They come from all income and occupational levels, and from all geographical areas of the country. Just like you and me. It only takes a hiccup. Keep your eye out for the legislation that will be coming forward. Although it would be unpleasant, bankruptcy is not the end of the world, by any means. There are worse things that can happen in life.

The "Fragile Middle Class" has non-biased an informative information on....us. What is the reality behind the so-called middle class? While millions of individuals and families are members of this club, and we have a definition of what qualifies people as being part of it, what is the financial health of the American middle class today in 2003? Real income is still declining, even after the economic boom of the 1990s. (This was a pseudo economic boom). Personal debt is at record levels. If truthful accounting and honest financial disclosures are conducted, being middle class means living paycheck to paycheck, on the brink bankruptcy, due to even a minor financial hiccup: divorce, a staggering medical bill due to illness or accident, or loss of a job. The authors' introduce the new concept called "skidding," which is when a person changes jobs, which results in lower pay, and therefore less income coming in. And they discuss the record number of people who've recently gone bankrupt. This book is about those, who are most of us, that teeter on the edge.

First, debt is essential to living in our modern economy, and when used properly is good for us, and benefits the economy. We can't now, and have never been able to pay cash for our home, or a new or used car. When people invest in real estate or a business, they borrow capital. Having leverage is actually better. However, total Debt ratio is the largest it's ever been, combined with stagnant and declining wages. 2/3 of the American economy is dependent on consumer spending, completely dependent upon people spending their on money on--everything. One example, out of thousands, is the recent public "begging campaign" from politicians and high-profile business spin doctors in New York, imploring people to "come to New York and spend money," to revive the economy. When there is a slight dip in consumer confidence we hear about it from the media, because it's considered so vital to the U.S. economy.

This book uses historical as well as current notes, stats, and case studies, with the majority of the findings from the results from the decade of the 1990s. It is obvious that the tech-boom of the 90s was a temporary band aid that was applied to a long-term sociological and economic bullet wound. Financially, Americans are in some of the worse financial shape they've ever been in. Why is consumer debt at an all-time high? Why over one million bankruptcies per year? This book conducts research and analysis that paints the modern day picture from the perspective of people in the bankruptcy industry. And today, the bankruptcy numbers are so significant that the Federal government will soon pass legislation in an attempt to reduce the numbers of Americans filing. However the reduction in the number of filers means major changes need to be made by our societal and cultural expectations, financial institutions, and personal spending habits and behavior. Something that Congressional legislation can't do alone. There will be an impact, but it will be minimal. One could adopt my personal attitude, which is simply not to care.

A Rehash.......2003-02-05

Rehashes their earlier book and reiterates the same tautology: too much debt causes bankruptcy.

Owe my Soul.......2002-11-21

Excellent read if you wondering about the number of bankruptcies or have been puzzled about the decline in real wages over the last few decades. It may make you think twice about your own finances!

Book review: Bankruptcy empiricism: Lighthouse still no good

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Book review: Bankruptcy empiricism: Lighthouse still no good
Margaret Howard
Manufacturer: Emory University School of Law
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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ASIN: B0006S5X4Y

Book Description

This twenty-first edition of ANNUAL EDITIONS: DRUGS, SOCIETY AND BEHAVIOR provides convenient, inexpensive access to current articles selected from the best of the public press. Organizational features include: an annotated listing of selected World Wide Web sites; an annotated table of contents; a topic guide; a general introduction; brief overviews for each section; a topical index; and an instructor’s resource guide with testing materials. USING ANNUAL EDITIONS IN THE CLASSROOM is offered as a practical guide for instructors. ANNUAL EDITIONS titles are supported by our student website, www.dushkin.com/online.

Annual Editions : Drugs, Society, and Behavior 06/07 (Annual Editions : Drugs, Society and Behavior)

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Annual Editions : Drugs, Society, and Behavior 06/07 (Annual Editions : Drugs, Society and Behavior)
Hugh T Wilson
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill/Dushkin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OGR2OW

Book Description

This book represents the most comprehensive publication of its type on nonhuman primates. It also provides basic information on the biology and management of primates for anyone responsible for the care and use of these animals. A related book on primate diseases will be published in 1996.

Key Features
* Stresses the following major topics:
* Biology and medical management
* Reproductive physiology and breeding
* Nutrition
* Biohazards

Book Description

Surface Chemistry is an essential and developing area of physical chemistry and one that has become increasingly multidisciplinary. Surface Science: Foundations of Catalysis and Nanoscience offers a comprehensive, modern introduction to the subject, taking a truly pedagogical approach. This text will provide the reader with a well-rounded understanding, not only of how chemistry works at surfaces, but also how to understand and probe the dynamics of surface reactions.
Starting with an examination of the importance of heterogeneous reactions, it lays the foundations for an understanding of chemical reactions at surfaces through a detailed treatment of surface electronic and geometric structure. Reactivity on and with surfaces is clearly explained. Fundamental principles such as adsorption, desorption and reactions between adsorbates are examined, with extensive coverage of developments in the growth of epitaxial, and Langmuir-Blodgett films, as well as treatment of the etching of surfaces.
Surface Science:Foundations of Catalysis and Nanoscience:
* Features a modern molecular view of surfaces combined with a careful pedagogic approach to chemical reaction dynamics
* Introduces both theoretical and experimental techniques including a detailed explanation of growth and etching.
* Includes numerous examples of the relevance of surface chemistry to industrial processes combined with end of chapter problems and an extensive bibliography.
Suitable for all students taking courses in surface chemistry in departments of chemistry, physics, chemical engineering and material science, as well as researchers and professionals needing an up to date review of the subject.

Customer Reviews:

Huh ?.......2007-02-27

This book reminds me of watching Henry Kissinger being interviewed by William F. Buckley, Jr. on FIRING LINE. Poor Henry spoke so deliberately and so s-l-o-w-l-y that I genuinely couldn't follow what he was saying. His cannonballs could barely make it out of the barrel of his cannon.

Up until reading this book I thought I would never again have to experience that excruciating pain. This volume is an excellent edition of esoterica and historical trivialties. Whatever "magic" one might hope to find in "Alice's ..." is almost immediately lost in trying to read the copious notes in the margins. (My bad?) I had hoped for something less pedantic and sterile. (My bad? ... doesn't some slang just make you wince?)

Anyway, be advised - if you're having trouble getting to sleep, this book is for you. (wink, wink)

Do not go to a foreign country with out a road map........2002-06-24

In this case the foreign country is in time and space. This book appears to be stand alone logic and fun on the surface. Some may even think it is a children's book. If so why all the courses and scholarly writings on the story?
Some things are self evident as being so short that you can touch your toes. Others may take some time as the reason hatters are mad is the process includes mercury. Still when was the last time you used a bathing machine? Knowing some of information can enhance the enjoyment of reading the story.
You get the original illustrations to boot. So when you are finished perusing this book it can be used as a coffee table conversation book.

No need to "Go Ask Alice" when you have the Annotated one.......2002-06-16

Perhaps no other set of works in literature benefits more from annotation than "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Class." Martin Gardner, the author of a regular monthly column on recreational mathematics for "Scientific American," provides expert commentary on all the jokes, games, puzzles, tricks, parodies, obscure references and other curiosities with which Lewis Carroll saturated his writing. That means that you will find out who was the original model for the Chesire Cat and how the "Jabberwocky" poem translates into French. Actually, the definitions of all of those strange words in "Jabberwocky" is quite a load off of my mind. Besides, this edition also contains the full text of each tale, together with all of the original Sir John Tenniel illustrations in their proper places. The annotation runs concurrently with the text and Gardner also provides an introduction that covers both the story of how the books came to be written and some of the most interesting analyses of Carroll's works, such as those always fun Freudian interpretations. The bottom line is that either one of these books gets 5 stars by itself, so when you put the two of them together and add all this annotation, there is nothing to complain about. This is the perfect book for re-reading these books; I would never send anybody here for their first exposure to Alice, but once they are hooked on Carroll's sublime nonsense this will open up a whole new dimension or two (or three) of his work for them.

Wonderful Gift.......2000-11-02

I was given this as a birthday gift as a child, and find it is one of the few gifts I can remember receiving. And probably the only one I still use, nearly 30 years later. If you enjoy Alice, you will love to know more of the background, and inside jokes that you will no doubt miss without this book.

This book is necessary, in all senses of the word.......2000-04-12

Victorian-era readers of Lewis Carroll's delightful fantasies knew the poetry and song and public figures referred to; we moderns need to have the jokes explained to us, and Martin Gardner does a masterful job of it. We're fortunately past the more bizarre Freudian and Marxist interpretations of Alice that Gardner takes to task in his preface, but Gardner's annotations survive, as they should. The White Knight's encounter with Alice is heartbreaking when you know the background information, the lyric the White Knight's doggerel alludes to. By all means, give this to children at risk of being pithed by exposure to a certain indigo reptile; as children, they'll appreciate the story, and as they mature, they'll appreciate the commentary, and you'll have saved a budding intellect.

More Annotated Alice: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass

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Martin Gardner's Annotated Alice is definitive.

More Annotated Alice: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass
Martin Gardner
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Annotated Alice: The Definitive Edition

ASIN: 0394585712
Release Date: 1990-11-21

Customer Reviews:

Martin Gardner's Annotated Alice is definitive........1996-08-14

Martin Gardner avoids questionable psychoanalyticinterpretations, and instead describes the objects ofCarroll's satire that have been forgotten since the Victorian era. His notes allow us to fully enjoy Lewis Carroll's humor, and to see why Alice was so loved by children then (and by mathematicians now).

The Annotated Alice: The Definitive Edition

Average customer rating:

Wonderful Background and Analysis, but no academic description
Nice so far.
the book that didn't arrive
Highly recommend it!
Perfect gift

The Annotated Alice: The Definitive Edition
Lewis Carroll
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0393048470

Amazon.com

"What is the use of a book," thought Alice, "without pictures or conversations!"

Readers who share Alice's taste in books will be more than satisfied with The Annotated Alice, a volume that includes not only pictures and conversations, but a thorough gloss on the text as well. There may be some, like G.K. Chesterton, who abhor the notion of putting Lewis Carroll's masterpiece under a microscope and analyzing it within an inch of its whimsical life. But as Martin Gardner points out in his introduction, so much of Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass is composed of private jokes and details of Victorian manners and mores that modern audiences are not likely to catch. Yes, Alice can be enjoyed on its own merits, but The Annotated Alice appeals to the nosy parker in all of us. Thus we learn, for example, that the source of the mouse's tale may have been Alfred Lord Tennyson who "once told Carroll that he had dreamed a lengthy poem about fairies, which began with very long lines, then the lines got shorter and shorter until the poem ended with fifty or sixty lines of two syllables each." And that, contrary to popular belief, the Mad Hatter character was not a parody of then Prime Minister Gladstone, but rather was based on an Oxford furniture dealer named Theophilus Carter.

Gardner's annotations run the gamut from the factual and historical to the speculative and are, in their own way, quite as fascinating as the text they refer to. Occasionally, he even comments on himself, as when he quotes a fellow annotator of Alice, James Kincaid: "The historical context does not call for a gloss but the passage provides an opportunity to point out the ambivalence that may attend the central figure and her desire to grow up." And then follows with a charming riposte: "I thank Mr. Kincaid for supporting my own rambling." There's a lot of information in the margins (indeed, the page is pretty evenly divided between Carroll's text and Gardner's), but the ramblings turn out to be well worth the time. So hand over your old copy of Lewis Carroll's classic to the kids--this Alice in Wonderland is intended entirely for adults. --Alix Wilber

Book Description

The culmination of a lifetime of scholarship, The Annotated Alice is a landmark event in the rich history of Lewis Carroll and cause to celebrate the remarkable career of Martin Gardner. For over half a century, Martin Gardner has established himself as one of the world's leading authorities on Lewis Carroll. His Annotated Alice, first published in 1960, has over half a million copies in print around the world and is highly sought after by families and scholars alike--for it was Gardner who first decoded the wordplay and the many mathematical riddles that lie embedded in Carroll's two classic stories: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. Forty years after this groundbreaking publication, Norton is proud to publish the Definitive Edition of The Annotated Alice, a work that combines the notes of Gardner's 1960 edition with his 1990 update, More Annotated Alice, as well as additional new discoveries and updates drawn from Gardner's encyclopedic knowledge of the texts. Illustrated with John Tenniel's classic and beloved art--along with many recently discovered Tenniel pencil sketches--The Annotated Alice will be Gardner's most beautiful and enduring tribute to Carroll's masterpieces yet. Celebrating his eighty-fifth birthday in the fall of 1999, the redoubtable Gardner has been called by Douglas Hofstadter "one of the great intellects produced in this country in this century." With The Annotated Alice: The Definitive Edition, we have this remarkable scholar's crowning achievement.

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful Background and Analysis, but no academic description.......2007-09-30

This book is a wonderful collection of both Alice books, accompanied by full annotations and examples of the original poems and concepts that many of the musings in the works are based on. Anyone who is interested in Alice, Wonderland, and/or the Looking-Glass should get this book, as it provides wonderful analysis and background of the author and the girl the protagonist is modeled after. It also explains some of the less obvious jokes by explaining their origins.

I also like how the annotations reference other works of analysis on Alice. There is also a list in the back of many Alice-related works sorted by category. This shows that a lot of effort was put into this book and its integrity.

Unfortunately, there are a few cons. If you are looking to buy this for assistance on a book report or project, I must warn you that the notes in this book aren't tailored for academic analysis, but more broad literary analysis. In other words; the symbols and motifs aren't as important to the author as the linguistic jokes, puns, and concepts are. Also, the wonderfully designed cover is really only a paper cover, something not discernible from the online picture.

Nice so far........2007-07-20

I haven't had the chance to delve deeply into this one yet, but I love the layout. The original story is in the middle and the notes are on the outside margins. They provide excellent insight into the depth of the story and the outside motivating factors.

the book that didn't arrive.......2007-05-10

My purchase was confirmed and I was charged for it. However, the seller had already sold it and emailed me that they were sending me a check for the amount I was billed. So far no check.

Highly recommend it!.......2007-03-30

great book. Not all the annotations are useful, but most help explain things that we may not understand since we are not of that era.

Perfect gift.......2007-03-25

I gave this book as a gift to an Alice fan and collector. She was thrilled with this gorgeous volume.

The Annotated Alice: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass

Average customer rating:

The Annotated Alice: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass

Manufacturer: World Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0529020521

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The annotated Alice: Alice's adventures in Wonderland & Through the looking glass,
Lewis Carroll
Manufacturer: C. N. Potter
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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The Annotated Alice - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass
Lewis Carroll
Manufacturer: Bramhall House / Clarkson Potter
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Annotated Alice - Alice's Adventures In Wonderland & Through The Looking Glass
Lewis Carroll
Manufacturer: New American Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

The Annotated Alice - The Definitive Edition - Alice's Adventures In Wonderland & Through The Looking Glass

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The Annotated Alice - The Definitive Edition - Alice's Adventures In Wonderland & Through The Looking Glass
Lewis; With an Introduction and Notes by Gardner, Martin; Original Illustrations by Tenniel, John Carroll
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton & Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000W25FII

The Annotated Alice : Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass

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The Annotated Alice : Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass
Martin (& Lewis Carroll) Gardner
Manufacturer: Bramhall House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Annotated Alice Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass
Carroll, Lewis
Manufacturer: Clarkson N. Potter, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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