The new edition of Middle-Class Meltdown in America: Causes, Consequences, and Remedies tells the story of the struggling American middle class by weaving together sociological and economical research, personalized portraits and examples, and a profusion of current data illustrating significant social, economic, and political trends.

Kevin T. Leicht is professor of sociology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. His research examines the relationship between globalization, economic change, and social inequality in a variety of contexts. His work has appeared in the American Sociological Review, American Journal of Sociology, Social Forces, and Academy of Management Journal.

Scott F. Fitzgerald is professor of sociology and department chair at the University of North Carolina Charlotte. His research and teaching coalesce around issues of economic inequality, social movements, religion, and the nation state. His work has appeared in Mobilization, Sociological Spectrum, The Sociological Quarterly, and Social Forces.

1. The Illusion of Middle-Class Prosperity 2. The Struggling Middle Class 3. The Income/Credit Squeeze 4. Robbing the Productivity Train 5. Where Did All That Credit Come From? 6. From Washington to Wall Street: Marketing the Illusion 7. The Great Recession of 2008-2009 and the COVID Recession of 2020-2021: The Illusion Exposed 8. The Consequences of Middle-Class Meltdown 9. What Can We Do? A Manifesto for the Middle Class Appendix