Letters to Barlett and Steele

After America: What Went Wrong? first ran in The Philadelphia Inquirer in 1991, thousands of letters poured into the Inquirer's offices, the vast majority positive, with readers looking to thank Bartlett and Steele or share their own stories. Many wrote they already had felt the war against the middle class, but seeing it in print opened their eyes to the extent of the decline, and to the realization that they weren't alone. Here are some, courtesy of the authors.

Letter from Eileen Breen, Pennsylvania, 1991

A letter from Eileen Breen, from Glenmoore, PA, written in 1991. Breen is now 53, and her two children are ...

What Went Wrong

Donald Barlett and James Steele are revisiting America: What Went Wrong, their landmark 1991 newspaper series, in a new project with the Investigative Reporting Workshop. Over the next year, the project team will examine how four decades of public policy has shaped America's ongoing economic crisis.

Issues

Back Story

The authors talk about What Went Wrong

Donald Barlett and James Steele talk about the project, and why they decided to revisit a book they wrote two decades ago, in a series of video clips produced by the Workshop.

Nation's Story

Who pays the taxes?

Who pays the taxes?

We feature charts, maps, photos and other visualizations that reflect the state of the economy as part of our What Went Wrong project. This column chart shows the growing disparity between what individuals and corporations pay in taxes. In the 1950s, the difference was 22 percent. Recent figures show the difference is 62 percent.

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Read an Excerpt

The Betrayal of the American Dream on Google Books

The Betrayal of the American Dream on Google Books

Check out the first chapter of Barlett and Steele's 2012 book here.