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Title details for Janesville by Amy Goldstein - Available

Janesville

An American Story

by Amy Goldstein
Joy Osmanski
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available
* Financial Times and McKinsey Business Book of the Year * Winner of the J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize​ * 800-CEO-READ Business Book of the Year * A New York Times Notable Book * A Washington Post Notable Book * An NPR Best Book of 2017 * A Wall Street Journal Best Book of 2017 * An Economist Best Book of 2017 * A Business Insider Best Book of 2017 *

"A gripping story of psychological defeat and resilience" (Bob Woodward, The Washington Post)—an intimate account of the fallout from the closing of a General Motors assembly plant in Janesville, Wisconsin, and a larger story of the hollowing of the American middle class.
This is the story of what happens to an industrial town in the American heartland when its main factory shuts down—but it's not the familiar tale. Most observers record the immediate shock of vanished jobs, but few stay around long enough to notice what happens next when a community with a can-do spirit tries to pick itself up.

Pulitzer Prize–winning reporter Amy Goldstein spent years immersed in Janesville, Wisconsin, where the nation's oldest operating General Motors assembly plant shut down in the midst of the Great Recession. Now, with intelligence, sympathy, and insight into what connects and divides people in an era of economic upheaval, Goldstein shows the consequences of one of America's biggest political issues. Her reporting takes the reader deep into the lives of autoworkers, educators, bankers, politicians, and job re-trainers to show why it's so hard in the twenty-first century to recreate a healthy, prosperous working class.

"Moving and magnificently well-researched...Janesville joins a growing family of books about the evisceration of the working class in the United States. What sets it apart is the sophistication of its storytelling and analysis" (Jennifer Senior, The New York Times).

"Anyone tempted to generalize about the American working class ought to meet the people in Janesville. The reporting behind this book is extraordinary and the story—a stark, heartbreaking reminder that political ideologies have real consequences—is told with rare sympathy and insight" (Tracy Kidder, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Soul of a New Machine).

  • Creators

  • Series

    A Business Award-Winner

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    April 18, 2017

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781508238881
      • File size: 289143 KB
      • Duration: 10:02:22

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Just before Christmas in 2008, General Motors shut down its Janesville, Wisconsin, assembly plant. Amy Goldstein tells the stories of those who were left to cope with joblessness, and those in its wake. Joy Osmanski reads the stories with passion. Listeners hear the emptiness of the once-bustling plant, and the anxiety of the workers who once made 28 dollars an hour. A woman dealing with a depressing job as a corrections officer, teens embarking on their futures, and GM "gypsies" who moved to another plant are among those who share their experiences. Civic efforts to help people rebuild their lives and bring in new jobs, as well as the efforts of House Speaker Paul Ryan to save his hometown's assembly plant, are also part of the story. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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