10 books to read after the election

Election season is finally almost over. Now it's time to actually tackle America's problems. Here are 10 books that offer context.

3. 'Who Stole the American Dream?,' by Hedrick Smith

Pulitzer Prize-winner Hedrick Smith focuses on the history of economic inequality in America. While Stiglitz's book assesses the current economic system, this one shows how things got that way in the first place. Sparing neither political party, Smith shows how major changes that started during Jimmy Carter’s presidency escalated after Carter left office and helped create the extreme class stratification we are experiencing today. The current economic system, he argues, has very little room for a middle class. That’s why it keeps shrinking, and will continue to shrink unless Americans demand a significant change in the way we’re governed.

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