The Challenge Of The American Dream

Hochschild combines survey data and vivid anecdote to clarify several paradoxes. Since the 1960s, white Americans have seen African Americans as having better and better chances to achieve the dream. At the same time middle-class blacks, by now one-third of the African American population, have become increasingly frustrated personally and anxious about the progress of their race. Most poor blacks, however, cling with astonishing strength to the notion that they and their families can succeeddespite their terrible, perhaps worsening, living conditions. Meanwhile, a tiny number of the estranged poor, who have completely given up on the American dream or any other faith, threaten the social fabric of the black community and the very lives of their fellow blacks. Will the still optimistic majority of poor African Americans eventually follow the alienated minority into neighborhood and even society-wide destruction? Does the new black middle class vindicate the American dream, or does the frustration of its members make apparent the limits of a vision never intended to include African Americans? Hochschild probes these questions, and gives them historical depth by comparing the experience of today's African Americans to that of white ethnic immigrants at the turn of the century. She concludes by claiming that America's only alternative to the social disaster of intensified racial conflict lies in the inclusiveness, optimism, discipline, and high-mindedness of the American dream at its best.

Throughout the world, certain ethnic groups have made a living through trade and have found a place for themselves in their societies' middle strata. At times, these 'middlemen minorities' have aroused the envy of their neighbors and been subjected to a variety of persecutions. In this book, Walter P. Zenner examines explanations for this phenomenon and analyzes such groups as the Jews, the Chinese, the Scots, and the South Asians abroad.

ABOUT THE BOOK The New American Dream is about the pursuit of interestingness, not happiness. A career filled with variety, rather than defined by conventional paths to power and prestige, is what gives us satisfaction in the long run. This book is a blueprint for choosing a path of lifelong learning and total engagement, every step of the way. You will learn: + How to step off the corporate ladder and pursue opportunities that make your life more interesting + How just being yourself is the surest way to win the rewarding career you seek + Ways to reinvigorate your current work environment with new meaning Despite what you may have been taught about "paying your dues" before you get to begin enjoying life, you can get up each day excited to do what you do. You can have a job and still have time for family and outside passions. You can have a career filled with intellectual challenge, physical challenge and emotional challenge - not later, but right now. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Penelope Trunk has founded three startups. Prior to that she worked in marketing roles in the Fortune 500 and played professional beach volleyball. Her career advice has appeared in more than 200 newspapers and publications, ranging from The Wall St. Journal and Business Week to Glamour and Marie Claire. Trunk is a frequent commentator about workplace trends, and she has appeared on outlets such as 20/20, CNN, and NPR. EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK You, too, can be one of the people who is redefining success. You don't have to give up everything in your personal life to "get to the top." You can decide what is success for you. Let's talk about what this means in practice. You don't have to play the face-time game. We've known forever that it isn't necessary to be in the office from 9 to 5 every day to get work done, but many of us have missed family events only to sit at a desk all day getting pretty much nothing done because of the stress of missing a family event. And there didn't used to be any option; if you wanted a successful career, you made sure coworkers saw that you were putting in the hours. A good portion of the workforce has been requesting flextime for decades, but the requests have gone unheeded. We have Gen Y to thank for forcing the switch, because if Gen Yers can't leave the building whenever they want, they'll walk out the door and never come back. Face the truth: boomers weren't willing to go that far, but they sure are benefiting from it. Now they have more opportunities for flextime, too. We all want to be judged by the work we do, not the hours we put in. And what could be more fair than this? You don't have to do work that's meaningless. Gen Y kids grew up with parents scheduling every minute of their day. They were told TV is bad and reading is good, and are more educated than any generation in history. They just spent 18 years learning to be productive with their time, so they're not going to settle for any photocopying/coffee stirring job. It's great for all of us that the biggest demographic at work today - Generation Y - is not willing to waste time at work. This means we can all put our foot down to work that doesn't matter. We all, intuitively, want meaningful work. We all want to be stimulated by our jobs, and we all want to understand how we're contributing to the world at large. Why should anyone have to wait until retirement age to start demanding that? Like what you're reading? Buy this book! BOOK OUTLINE + Redefine Your Relationship to Work + Find the Right Job + Financial Freedom is a False Promise + Authenticity Will Get You What You Want + Lifelong Learning