The best-case scenario / Katherine S. Newman and Chauncy Lennon -- High flyers, low riders, and the "up but not out" club -- All in the family -- The national picture / Helen Connolly, Peter Gottschalk, and Katherine S. Newman -- Streetwise economics -- Victor Tan Chen and Katherine S. Newman --...

Hard work hasn't been paying off: creating real opportunity for millions of workers -- The whir of machines: manufacturing, construction, and printing jobs, 1980s to today (Tisha; Joseph; Randy; Kevin) -- The big shift from manufacturing to service jobs: clerical work, 1980s to today (Roselyn;...

Coming to work in the city -- A job for a working man -- Dredging and drudgery -- A job for a working woman -- The living wage -- The hard work of being poor -- The consequence of failure -- The market's grasp