Sleeping Giant: How the New Working Class Will Transform America by Tamara Draut

Sleeping Giant: How the New Working Class Will Transform America by Tamara Draut provokes thought, anger, disbelief, and hope all in a few short pages. Draut investigates and illuminates the struggle of the working class in America as well as the importance of the jobs so often pushed to the side and misunderstood by the very people who are working class as well as those who are middle and upper class. She demonstrates how little we truly understand our own economy, taxes, and, sadly, way of life. I felt sharp pangs as I thought about times when I didn't stop to appreciate service I received or worse yet complained about service that was adequate but not top-notch. We so often assume we know things we don't know based on our own circumstances, but Sleeping Giant delves into all those areas where we make ourselves willfully blind so we don't have to face the reality of our choices and the reality of other people's lives. As I read about the deplorable conditions corporations in America get away with in spite of all of our so called worker protections I felt ill. Draut backs up her opinions, conclusions and conjecture with facts and evidence based on research. She marries research and anecdotes in a way that gives the facts a human face. Sleeping Giant challenged assumptions and pushed buttons I didn't even know I had, but Draut also left me with hope that we can change the future for not just the working class but for everyone.