Moving from the micro to the macro, [the authors] tell the stories of their Yamhill friends and others they’ve met across the country, sharing their photos as well as studies and figures that deepen readers’ understanding. While they cover policy failures of the last half-century, they also affirm that we’re no longer dealing in Republican or Democratic issues, but issues of Americans’ very survival. Highlighting successful small-scale programs like Tulsa’s rehabilitative Women in Recovery program, they emphasize that there are potentially nationwide solutions. Both researched and personal, this will be hard for readers to stop thinking about..

The authors’ affection for Yamhill is the heartbeat of the book.

The stories they present are mostly depressing ones.

[Kristof] and WuDunn write about [Yamhill's] residents—many of whom are their friends—with affection and empathy.

The personal stories in Tightrope are, variously, wrenching and inspiring.

With compassion and empathy, [the authors] pull readers into the lives of families who have been in a downward spiral for several generations.

With an earnest blend of shoe-leather reporting and advocacy for social justice, the married journalists send a clear message to anyone who wants to see working-class Americans prosper.

Kristof and WuDunn turn a compassionate lens on the failed state of working-class American communities in this stark, fluidly written portrait.