The American Dream Is Not Dead:

More an extended blog post (and responses) than a book, Strain struggles to support either theses in his book's title.

The first nine chapters present a generally convincing argument that globalization and economic realignment haven't left the middle class as hollowed out as so many politicians claim. Setting aside the charge of cherry-picking the time frame of data raised in the dissenting chapters, I wish Strain had done a better job of digging into how globalization and Great Recession transformed the middle class. He admits the economy isn't working for everyone. Outlining for whom it is and isn't working is a prerequisite to any discussion about policy changes.