(Not) Keeping Up with Our Parents: The Decline of the Professional Middle Class [Paperback]

Nan Mooney (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2009

Drawing on more than a hundred interviews with people all across America, (Not) Keeping Up with Our Parents explores how stagnant wages, debt, and escalating costs for tuition, health care, and home ownership are jeopardizing the finances and futures of today's educated middle class. Despite this sobering reality, Nan Mooney offers concrete ideas on how we can arrest this downward spiral.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Young people who were raised to believe that a college education guarantees them a spot in the middle class are instead grappling with rising levels of debt, stagnant wages and ballooning basic expenses, argues Mooney (I Can't Believe She Did That) in this affecting but thinly researched jeremiad. Mooney suggests that college graduates who choose creative or service professions, such as journalism, teaching and social work, generally find themselves in low-paying jobs that, paradoxically, require high-priced educations and even graduate degrees. The struggle to pay off student loans sets off a spiral of financial insecurity, as these educated professionals face escalating costs for housing, health insurance and child care. It's an interesting observation, but Mooney often doesn't delve deeply enough to create a true thesis; she does not fully examine the expectations that motivate graduates' decisions to choose to teach-their desire for meaningful work even at the expense of upward mobility-or their reluctance to leave expensive urban areas. Where Mooney backs up her points with solid research, she makes persuasive arguments, but she occasionally offers unsubstantiated generalizations and relies on research culled from interviews rather than hard data. For a more comprehensive treatment of this sobering trend, readers should turn to Warren and Tyagi's The Two-Income Trap or Up to Our Eyeballs, by analysts from liberal think tank Demos.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Journalist Mooney discusses the financial plight of the educated professional middle class that graduated from a four-year college 2 to 20 years ago and earns annually between $30,000 and $70,000 ($100,000 for couples). They have freely chosen careers in education, the arts, and public service, with relatively low-paying jobs requiring high-cost education. These professionals face increasing mortgage payments, student loans, credit-card debt, less help with health care, retirement, and child care, while the cost of living increases and wages are stagnant. The author candidly acknowledges the influence of our materialistic values and the spending craze throughout America. With information from more than 100 interviews of diverse families, the author’s recommendations include improved government-backed education, health- and child-care programs, along with tax reform and an emphasis on changing society’s attitude toward money. Some may not agree with Mooney, but she gives an excellent analysis of the problems facing the professional middle class. --Mary Whaley --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: Beacon Press; Reprint edition (May 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807011398
• ISBN-13: 978-0807011393
• Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 0.7 x 8.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,127,795 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A thoughtful look at values and money, June 11, 2008

By 

Martha Brockenbrough (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: (Not) Keeping Up with Our Parents: The Decline of the Professional Middle Class (Hardcover)

I'm not sure what book the one-star reviewer read. In [Not] Keeping Up with Our Parents, Nan Mooney explains how life has gotten harder for middle-class professionals. While housing, health insurance, food and student loan costs have risen, incomes have not. What's more, social programs such as Social Security and corporate pension programs have dwindled. This means that people who've made reasonable decisions--to study, and to pursue responsible careers that interest them--are having a hard time making ends meet. One of her fundamental points is that the crunch isn't necessarily the individual's fault. It's not that we're frittering away our money on lattes. Rather, it's that life has gotten more expensive, and our incomes haven't kept up. It's an important book, and a timely one. Here's hoping as we reshape our country with the upcoming presidential election, that we elect leaders who want to keep the middle class dream alive.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must read this enlightening book, June 18, 2008

By 

C. Dominguez (Billings, MT) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: (Not) Keeping Up with Our Parents: The Decline of the Professional Middle Class (Hardcover)

This is a really important book... I highly recommend it. It gives an enlightening perspective to our generation's career choices. Many of us struggle with our career choices. Should I choose a career path that I find socially responsible, creative, and fulfilling? Or should I choose a career that will provide my family financial stability and opportunities? It seems that our dream job should have all those aspects, but we often find ourselves having to make the choice. Nan's book analyzes how we got to the place we are at now. She uncovers all the uneasy topics and facts that we don't like to discuss at dinner table, much less barbecues or cocktail parties. I found the book to be very well rounded with thoughtful analysis with good practical recommendations for change.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars awesome book, June 13, 2008

By 

V. Koos - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: (Not) Keeping Up with Our Parents: The Decline of the Professional Middle Class (Hardcover)

I thought this book was quite fantastic. Growing up my friends and I were told that if we went to college and got "a good job" we would be able to own our own home and send our own children to college. Well, guess what? This has turned out to not be even remotely true. I think this book is very important and is addressing a problem that I see everywhere and yet does not seem to get talked about anywhere. The housing market collapse and resulting economic slowdown have just been icing on the cake. Thank you Nan Mooney for putting into words

the experience of the disappearance of the middle class.