Don Peck

The latest consumer confidence numbers are due out later today and — given the roller coaster week the stock market has endured, and the Congress's recent debt ceiling decision — they aren't expected to be great. In such tumultuous times, it’s difficult for anyone to maintain confidence in the economy. But confidence is just what some experts say is necessary to create jobs and keep the markets stable. So, how do we inspire it?

Don Peck examines how the recession has changed the places we live, the work we do, and even who we are. In Pinched: How the Great Recession Has Narrowed Our Future and What We Can Do About It, he looks at how the middle class is shrinking faster, wealth is becoming more concentrated, new college graduates are struggling, and working-class families and communities are under growing pressure. 

Don Peck’s article “Can the Middle Class Be Saved” is the cover story in the September issue of The Atlantic magazine.

How has the recession changed your life? Leave a comment below.