The Middle-Class New Deal: Restoring Upward Mobility and the American Dream

By A. Mechele Dickerson

New York Times bestseller
As seen on The Daily Show
"This book is music to my ears."--Jon Stewart

A bold, accessible story about how the American middle class was built and what we can do to save it.

The American middle class didn't happen by accident--it was built through government action in the wake of the Great Depression. But over the past forty years, many of those policies have been rolled back or weakened, leaving working families with less security and fewer opportunities to get ahead. What would it take to reverse course?

In The Middle-Class New Deal, A. Mechele Dickerson breaks down the changes in education, labor, housing, and consumer-credit policy that have steadily eroded the economic stability of lower- and middle-income Americans--especially people of color and those without college degrees. Blending the latest research with personal stories from her own family, Dickerson shows how local and federal politicians have disingenuously used rhetoric to mask how their policies consistently favor the privileged class. Clear and compelling, the book lays out a bold path to meaningfully rebuild the middle class and expand opportunity for everyday Americans.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0520423399
• ISBN13: 9780520423398
• Release Date: January 2026
• Publisher: University of California Press
• Length: 280 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.9" x 8.9"