"Richard Longworth explores the new realities of life in America's heartland, uncovering what these changes mean for the region and the country. In the process, he covers everything from the manufacturing collapse that has crippled the Midwest to the biofuels revolution that may save it, and...

Introduction: When workers disappear -- Down in the hole: steelmaking Pittsburgh in the 1950s -- Dirty laundry: labor and love in the working-class home -- "You are only poor if you have no one to turn to": race, geography, and cooperation -- Doctor New Deal: social rights and the making of the...