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The Missing Class

57 million people in the United States live just above the poverty line. Sociologist Kathleen Newman argues that the recent rollback of New Deal-style government aid has threatened the middle-class gains of the 1990s. The Missing Class looks at this largely overlooked group of people who are just out of the reach of public assistance, but struggling to get by.

The Missing Class is available for purchase at amazon.com

Weigh in: If you live just above the poverty line, have you found it harder to get by since the 1990s?

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Ending Aging

Will people in the future suffer mid-life crises at the age of 100? Many biologists believe that someday we will be able to substantially slow down the aging process, but Dr. Aubrey de Grey is perhaps the most bullish of all such researchers. Dr. de Grey believes that the biomedical technology – that may eliminate aging-derived debilitation and even death entirely – is now within reach. Ending Aging explains the process of aging, and how this biotechnology may reverse age-related decay.

Ending Aging is available for purchase at amazon.com

Weigh in: If you could dramatically slow down or even stop your aging process, would you do it?

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Inside One of America’s Best High Schools

Stuyvesant High School is a New York City public high school that admits only 3 percent of its applicants – which makes it tougher to get into than Harvard. Academic competition is so intense that students say they can have only two of the three following things: good grades, a social life, or sleep. Alec Klein, a Stuyvesant alumnus himself, tells the stories of some of the school’s students and faculty in A Class Apart. Mr. Klein is joined by two people profiled in the book: Danny Jaye, formerly the assistant principal, and Mariya, a student.

A Class Apart is available for purchase at amazon.com

Events: Alec Klein will be speaking and signing books
Tuesday, September 18 at 7pm
Borders at The Shops at Columbus Circle

Weigh in: We want to hear from current and former Stuyvesant students. Did you have a high-stress high school experience? Was the good education worth the stress?

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Backstory: China’s Political Leaders

Who are China’s political leaders and why are their names virtually unknown? This is the focus of this month’s Backstory. Susan L. Shirk, the Director of the University of California’s Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, joins Leonard to discuss the relative strength of the Communist Party today, the recent replacement of some of China’s key ministers, and the upcoming Party Congress.

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