TIGHTROPE by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn is subtitled "Americans Reaching for Hope." The husband-and-wife team of Kristof and WuDunn are Pulitzer Prize–winning journalists and have written several books, including Half the Sky, together. TIGHTROPE refers to the precarious economic situation faced by lower- and middle-income Americans. Throughout, the authors reference many geographic areas of the US, but return frequently to Yamhill, Oregon where Kristof grew up and where his family has a farm. As the authors share stories of Krsitof's high school classmates tied to addiction, drug abuse, and suicide, it also made me think of Our Kids by Robert Putnam, which, like his Bowling Alone (which Kristof and WuDunn reference), is another sociological look at changes in status and opportunity for Americans over time. Kristof's TIGHTROPE, originally published in early 2020, shares its own sobering statistics as well: "about one-fourth of the kids who rode with Nick on the [local school] bus are dead from drugs, suicide, alcohol, obesity, reckless accidents, and other pathologies"). The authors stress that personal responsibility alone is not enough to facilitate a turnaround; this book is an effort to raise consciousness about our collective obligation, especially to today's children. TIGHTROPE received a starred review from Booklist ("hard for readers to stop thinking about").

I am an avid reader of Nicholas's New York Times pieces and when I saw this book I knew I wanted to read it. I appreciate the timing of this book as we continue to deal with COVID and the economic wealth gap continues to grow. The topics explored in this book (inequality, homelessness, substance abuse, poverty, and lack of access to resources). The authors approached this book in an empathetic and respectful manner.

What I liked most about this book, is that it provides evidence of the structural barriers embedded in our society that ensure those at the bottom stay at the bottom, leaving the "American Dream" unattainable for a large proportion of society. Imagine how productive our country would be if we dealt with these issues head-on and actually resolved them versus continuing to throw money at a problem and hoping for the best.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you, NetGalley!

I’ve followed Nicholas Kristof’s career for a while now and read everything of his that I can, including his past books Half the Sky and A Path Appears so when I heard he was writing a new one with his wife, I had to read it. I appreciate the perspective of society that this book includes, especially the focus on the unattainable “American Dream” for so many in our country. Kristof and WuDunn cover, empathetically and personally, many issues Americans deal with including inequality, homelessness, poverty, drug addiction, access to resources, and more. They also handle this in a respectful and comprehensive manner without being repetitive or preachy directing readers to think in a preconceived way.

Thank you to @netgalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.