Toxic Inequality, Thomas M. Shapiro
Toxic Inequality, Thomas M. Shapiro
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Toxic Inequality
How America's Wealth Gap Destroys Mobility, Deepens the Racial Divide, and Threatens Our Future

Author: Thomas M. Shapiro

Narrator: Christopher Grove

Unabridged: 7 hr 33 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 08/20/2019


Synopsis

Since the Great Recession, most Americans' standard of living has stagnated or declined. Economic inequality is at historic highs. But inequality's impact differs by race; African Americans' net wealth is just a tenth that of white Americans, and over recent decades, white families have accumulated wealth at three times the rate of black families. In our increasingly diverse nation, sociologist Thomas M. Shapiro argues, wealth disparities must be understood in tandem with racial inequities—a dangerous combination he terms "toxic inequality."

In Toxic Inequality, Shapiro reveals how these forces combine to trap families in place. Following nearly two hundred families of different races and income levels over a period of twelve years, Shapiro's research vividly documents the recession's toll on parents and children, the ways families use assets to manage crises and create opportunities, and the real reasons some families build wealth while others struggle in poverty. The structure of our neighborhoods, workplaces, and tax code—much more than individual choices—push some forward and hold others back.

America's growing wealth gap and its yawning racial divide have been forged by history and preserved by policy, and only bold, race-conscious reforms can move us toward a more just society.

About Thomas M. Shapiro

Thomas M. Shapiro is the Pokross Professor of Law and Social Policy at the Heller School, Brandeis University, where he directs the Institute on Assets and Social Policy. The author of four books, including The Hidden Cost of Being African American and Toxic Inequality: How America's Wealth Gap Destroys Mobility, Deepens the Racial Divide, and Threatens Our Future, he lives in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Greg

One of the things I liked about this book were the stories. You don’t get as many facts in this one as you do stories about people losing their homes, their jobs, and just about everything else. Plus there are tons of stats. Here are some passages that stood out to me: “David, like 85 percent of middle......more

Goodreads review by Jackson

Great read on how inequality gets entrenched across generations due to who we decide to tax, not tax, and invest in. Inequality is a choice, not an accident!......more

Goodreads review by Rick

Inequality is systemic and affluent people of various means, and not just the super rich, are hoarding not only wealth but also opportunity, and rewriting the rules of the game to make sure they always succeed. Meritocracy my ass!......more

Goodreads review by William

With Toxic Inequality, Thomas M. Shapiro uses narrative and statistics to great effect, describing the harrowing experience of being a person who is not wealthy in today’s America. With many of the families, they do not desire long-term assistance. They have pride in their capacities to work, but if......more