Pinched

“Fascinating…An important, far-thinking consideration of the reverberations–social, political, psychological–of the financial crash.” —Publishers Weekly (starred)

“Books attempting to explain the economic situation are a dime a dozen these days, but my pennies go to Pinched. Shorn of jargon, this tightly written book distinguishes itself from the crowd…It’s great to find a book that identifies solutions, not just problems.” —Chicago Tribune (Editor’s Choice)

“Outstanding. PINCHED has the potential to be a defining book about this era economically, how we should think about it, and what we should do about it. It does a better, clearer job of explaining this painful period than anything I’ve read recently. Don Peck puts together the pieces of today’s puzzle—the gender effects, the generational effects, the political ramifications of a slowing economy—in a way that makes obvious sense, once he has pointed them out. This is a wonderfully helpful and clarifying book.” –James Fallows

“A gripping and sobering account of the true costs of the financial boom-bust cycle, full of sensible analysis and level-headed suggestions. Policymakers on both sides of the aisle will ignore this book at their peril. Read PINCHED and run for office yourself.” –Simon Johnson, Professor of Entrepreneurship at MIT Sloan School of Management, and co-author of 13 Bankers: The Wall Street Takeover and The Next Financial Meltdown

“Every era has its politico-economic text. Don Peck may well have written the one for the post financial crisis era.  His concerns for what a weak economy will leave in its wake are proper and pressing. We would make wiser policy if every policymaker read this brilliant book.” –Larry Summers

“PINCHED is a must read for anyone trying to understand not just the causes but the long-running consequences of the Great Recession. Don Peck shows how the economic crisis is reshuffling our economic and social order, and how devastating the effects of long-term joblessness and diminished expectations can be. He outlines a new, broader but more focused strategy that puts job creation and economic recovery at the center of the nation’s agenda.” –Richard Florida, author of The Great Reset and The Rise of the Creative Class

“Timely and important.” –Chrystia Freeland, The New York Times and International Herald Tribune 

“Compelling and disturbing …Peck explains, with coolness and concision, the brutal new realities faced by Americans without college degrees … He makes a compelling case that the most pressing problem the U.S. faces is not the bloated national debt, but the hollowing of the middle class.” –Jeffrey Goldberg, Bloomberg