Lyndon Dees

We have been hearing stories of struggles in the job market and small triumphs this week on The Takeaway. We’re asking listeners to tell us their stories of how unemployment has affected their lives. 

All week long we're talking with some of our favorite guests from the past year about the year that was, and what they foresee in the year ahead. Today, we discuss the economy. According to some financial reporters and analysts, the economy is on a slow, gradual upswing. But is this upswing something non-analysts are feeling?

It's the day before Thanksgiving, and with the nation’s unemployment rate at 9.6 percent, many Americans are facing a difficult holiday season. Lyndon Dees, a listener from Stillwater, Oklahoma, knows what tough times are like. Lyndon lost his job in August, 2009, and has yet to find a new position.

For many years, an integral part of the American dream has involved making it to the middle class. We associate the phrase with steady, secure work, home ownership and providing for a comfortable — if not lavish — lifestyle for our family. But has middle class America fundamentally changed since the Great Recession hit? Do people that once saw themselves as solidly middle class see themselves differently now?