Tightrope: Americans Reaching for Hope
by Nicholas Kristoff and Sheryl WuDunn
review of Tightrope: Americans Reaching for Hope by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, Journal of Working-Class Studies (2020)
In many ways, Tightrope is a counter-telling to Tara Westover’s Educated (2018) and J.D. Vance’s Hillbilly Elegy (2016), books that made a huge impact on the national scene as distraught liberals everywhere tried to understand the rise of Trump. Both of those books were autobiographical accounts of moving ‘up’ and out of poverty, with a tendency towards eliding structural inequalities in favor of individualistic accounts of fighting the odds and bemoaning working-class culture. Kristof and WuDunn attempt something different here, telling stories about real peoples’ struggles (many of whom are personally known to them) to push all of us to recognize ‘our collective irresponsibility’ towards those in need.
Our escalators of social mobility are broken. Our safety nets are full of holes. For too many years, we have watched our nation’s leaders destroy the foundations of the American Dream. Thus, we are all complicit to some degree with what has resulted – a sadder and sicker polity. Kristof and WuDunn passionately argue, ‘we need economic change but also cultural change, and ours would be a richer nation
if it were more infused with empathy, above all for children’ (251). They argue that while poverty is a choice, it is a choice not made by individuals, but by the country as a whole. ‘The United States has chosen policies over the last half century that have resulted in higher levels of homelessness, overdose deaths, crime and inequality – and now it’s time to make a different choice’ (253).
JWCS readers may be aware of other accounts out there that, to my mind also reject the individualistic ‘escape from poverty’ discourse in favor of a more structural telling of what has been happening to the working class over the years. I would recommend anything by Joe Bageant, but particularly Deer Hunting with Jesus, Christine Walley’s Exit Zero (2013) and two relatively recent books out of the UK – Poverty Safari (2018) by Darren McGarvey and Diane Reay’s excellent 2017 memoir/critique Miseducation. The difference here is that Tightrope is not an autobiographical account, as are all of my above recommendations. Kristof and WuDunn are a rather privileged pair, and, despite their great empathy and concern for friends, neighbors, and perfect strangers, the story they tell remains at arms’ length. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it is to be noted. There is a certain level of privileged liberal hand-wringing that may turn some readers off to their message. I hope that isn’t the case, as their message of collective responsibility is an important one to hear.
The book is full of stories – hard stories to hear, hard stories to bear, hard stories to forget. ...
Our escalators of social mobility are broken. Our safety nets are full of holes. For too many years, we have watched our nation’s leaders destroy the foundations of the American Dream. Thus, we are all complicit to some degree with what has resulted – a sadder and sicker polity. Kristof and WuDunn passionately argue, ‘we need economic change but also cultural change, and ours would be a richer nation
if it were more infused with empathy, above all for children’ (251). They argue that while poverty is a choice, it is a choice not made by individuals, but by the country as a whole. ‘The United States has chosen policies over the last half century that have resulted in higher levels of homelessness, overdose deaths, crime and inequality – and now it’s time to make a different choice’ (253).
JWCS readers may be aware of other accounts out there that, to my mind also reject the individualistic ‘escape from poverty’ discourse in favor of a more structural telling of what has been happening to the working class over the years. I would recommend anything by Joe Bageant, but particularly Deer Hunting with Jesus, Christine Walley’s Exit Zero (2013) and two relatively recent books out of the UK – Poverty Safari (2018) by Darren McGarvey and Diane Reay’s excellent 2017 memoir/critique Miseducation. The difference here is that Tightrope is not an autobiographical account, as are all of my above recommendations. Kristof and WuDunn are a rather privileged pair, and, despite their great empathy and concern for friends, neighbors, and perfect strangers, the story they tell remains at arms’ length. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it is to be noted. There is a certain level of privileged liberal hand-wringing that may turn some readers off to their message. I hope that isn’t the case, as their message of collective responsibility is an important one to hear.
The book is full of stories – hard stories to hear, hard stories to bear, hard stories to forget. ...