Helen Plum Library

Describes the vast size and scope of the American economy, explains how it functions, and examines some of the challenges it faces, such as inflation, government regulation, off-shoring, and corporate scandals.

"Senator Elizabeth Warren has long been an outspoken champion of America's middle class, and by the time the people of Massachusetts elected her in 2012, she had become one of the country's leading progressive voices. Now, at a perilous moment for our nation, she has written a book that is at once an illuminating account of how we built the strongest middle class in history, a scathing indictment of those who have spent the past thirty-five years...

"The New York Times bestselling business journalist Christopher Leonard infiltrates one of America's most mysterious institutions-the Federal Reserve-to show how its policies over the past ten years have accelerated income inequality and put our country's economic stability at risk"--

"A leading economic historian traces the evolution of American capitalism from the colonial era to the present--and argues that the country has reached yet another turning point that will define the era ahead.head."--

"Squeezed" weaves together intimate reporting with sharp and lively critique to show how the high cost of parenthood and our increasingly unstable job market have imploded the middle-class American Dream for many families, and offers surprising solutions for how we might change things. Families 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...

"Two decades into the twenty-first century, the stagnation of living standards has become the defining trend of American life. Life expectancy has declined, economic inequality has soared, and, after some progress, the Black-white wage gap is once again as large as it was in the 1950s. How did this happen in the world's most powerful country? And what happened to the "American dream"--the promise of a happier, healthier, more prosperous future--which...

"An expert on financial markets and regulation explains how middlemen like Amazon, Walmart, and big banks have become so powerful and have entrenched their dominance in the market, providing tips for readers so they can engage in more direct, ethical purchasing"--

The remarkable story of a hidden New Deal program that tried to change America and end the Great Depression using folk music, laying the groundwork for the folk revival and having a lasting impact on American culture. In 1934, the Great Depression had destroyed the US economy, leaving residents poverty-stricken. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt urged President Roosevelt to take radical action to help those hit hardest-Appalachian miners and mill workers...