The Fragile Middle Class: Americans in Debt

Why have so many middle-class Americans encountered so much financial trouble?

In this classic analysis of hard-pressed families, 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. A new preface examines the persistent and new threats that have emerged since the original publication.

“[A] fascinating, alarming study. . . . [This] chilling diagnosis of middle-class affliction demonstrates that we all may be only a job loss, medical problem or credit card indulgence away from the downward spiral leading to bankruptcy.”—Publishers Weekly

"A well-designed and carefully executed study."—Andrew Greeley, University of Chicago

"The Fragile Middle Class, a well-written work of social science that is about as gripping as the genre gets, forces us to reevaluate notions about consumerism."—American Prospect

Teresa A. Sullivan is President Emerita and University Professor of the University of Virginia. Formerly Leo Gottlieb Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, Elizabeth Warrren is now the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts. Jay Lawrence Westbrook is Benno C. Schmidt Chair of Business Law at the University of Texas School of Law.