The Unaffordable Nation: Searching for a Decent Life in America

by Jeffrey D. Jones

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• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 159102515X
• ISBN13: 9781591025153
• Release Date: July 2007
• Publisher: Prometheus Books
• Length: 207 Pages
• Weight: 0.53 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.8" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Not as nebulous as it sounds.

The author posits that there is an unwritten social contract between labor and business that promises that hard work will pay off in the ability to afford a decent life. The author's take was that when non-managerial wages generally drop below the living wage then trouble is a-brewing. The book starts out with an attempt to show that the definition of a "decent life" is not as amorphous as it sounds, then continues on with details about the social contract. Basically the social contract involves laborers' duty to work hard, and in return business should provide a living wage. I thought it was actually a pretty well-rounded book, and not rabidly pro-worker like it could have been. It was pretty realistic about the nature of modern global economics. It didn't come off as some socialist diatribe, like you would expect from the title. The writing style was really academic, though.

Relevant, Current and Important

Professor Jones addresses the current issues of our time and our world. Economics, philosophy and issues of globalization are several ways Jones helps us understand the changing times for life in America. It was personal to me because it helped me articulate some of my own questions regarding my career and obligations to society in a changing world.

THE UNAFFORDABLE NATION addresses these problems, offering plenty of opportunity for debate.

THE UNAFFORDABLE NATION: SEARCHING FOR A DECENT LIFE IN AMERICA addresses concerns over the affordability of a decent life in America, and should be a part of any high school to college-level library strong in American social issues. In an era where even two incomes often isn't enough to make ends meet, the country is fast becoming an unaffordable nation by those who struggle in the middle and see their families falling to the poorer end of the economic sale - and THE UNAFFORDABLE NATION addresses these problems, offering plenty of opportunity for debate.