Pulitzer Prize winner Hedrick Smiths new book is an extraordinary achievement, an eye-opening account of how, over the past four decades, the American Dream has been dismantled and we became two Americas.

In his bestselling Smith took millions of readers inside the Soviet Union. In he took us inside Washingtons corridors of power. Now Smith takes us across America to show how seismic changes, sparked by a sequence of landmark political and economic decisions, have transformed America. As only a veteran reporter can, Smith fits the puzzle together, starting with Lewis Powells provocative memo that triggered a political rebellion that dramatically altered the landscape of power from then until today.

This is a book full of surprises and revelationsthe accidental beginnings of the 401(k) plan, with disastrous economic consequences for many; the major policy changes that began under Jimmy Carter; how the New Economy disrupted Americas engine of shared prosperity, the virtuous circle of growth, and how America lost the title of Land of Opportunity. Smith documents the transfer of $6 trillion in middle-class wealth from homeowners to banks even beforethe housing boom went bust, and how the U.S. policy tilt favoring the rich is stunting Americas economic growth.

This book is essential reading for all of us who want to understand America today, or why average Americans are struggling to keep afloat. Smith reveals how pivotal laws and policies were altered while the public wasnt looking, how Congress often ignores public opinion, why moderate politicians got shoved to the sidelines, and how Wall Street often wins politically by hiring over 1,400 former government officials as lobbyists.

Smith talks to a wide range of people, telling the stories of Americans high and low. From political leaders such as Bill Clinton, Newt Gingrich, and Martin Luther King, Jr., to CEOs such as Al Dunlap, Bob Galvin, and Andy Grove, to heartland Middle Americans such as airline mechanic Pat ONeill, software systems manager Kristine Serrano, small businessman John Terboss, and subcontractor Eliseo Guardado, Smith puts a human face on how middle-class America and the American Dream have been undermined.

This magnificent work of history and reportage is filled with the penetrating insights, provocative discoveries, and the great empathy of a master journalist. Finally, Smith offers ideas for restoring Americas great promise and reclaiming the American Dream.

Praise for

[A] sweeping, authoritative examination of the last four decades of the American economic experience.The Huffington Post

Some fine work has been done in explaining the mess were in. . . . But no book goes to the headwaters with the precision, detail and accessibility of Smith.

Sweeping in scope . . . [Smith] posits some steps that could alleviate the problems of the United States.

Brilliant . . . [a] remarkably comprehensive and coherent analysis of and prescriptions for Americas contemporary economic malaise.(starred review)

Smith enlivens his narrative with portraits of the people caught up in events, humanizing complex subjects often rendered sterile in economic analysis. . . . The human face of the story is inseparable from the history.Reuters