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.