Living on the Edge: When Hard Times Become a Way of Life

Hard times have long been a way of life for most Americans, with many working multiple low-wage jobs or facing stagnant wages and rising costs of living. "Living on the Edge" is a book that explores the experiences of people across Appalachia, the Standing Rock and Wind River reservations, and Oakland, California, and highlights the long-standing collusion between government and corporations that prioritizes profits over people, the environment, and the nation's well-being. It also explores how racism, sexism, violence, and the pandemic shape daily experience in struggling communities and offers a vision for the future that is honest and ambitious.

\n Format: Paperback / softback
\n Length: 280 pages
\n Publication date: 24 September 2021
\n Publisher: Polity Press
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For the majority of Americans, hard times have long been a way of life. Some work multiple low-wage jobs, while others face the squeeze of stagnant wages and rising costs of living. Sociologist Celine-Marie Pascale spoke with people across Appalachia, at the Standing Rock and Wind River reservations, and in the bustling city of Oakland, California. Their voices offer a wide range of experiences that complicate dominant national narratives about economic struggles.

Yet, "Living on the Edge" is about more than individual experiences. It is about a nation in a deep economic and moral crisis. It is about the long-standing collusion between government and corporations that prioritizes profits over people, over the environment, and over the nation's well-being. It is about how racism, sexism, violence, and the pandemic shape daily experience in struggling communities. And, ultimately, it is a book about hope that lays out a vision for the future as honest as it is ambitious.

Most people in the book are not progressives; none are radicals. They are hard-working people who know from experience that the current system is unsustainable. Across the country, people described the need for a living wage, accessible health care, immigration reform, and free education. Their voices are worth listening to.

\n Weight: 482g\n
Dimension: 152 x 230 x 25 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9781509548248\n \n