Tightrope
Americans Reaching for Hope
by Nicholas D. Kristof
Recommended by Adam Grant and Binyamin Appelbaum
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Should I read this?
Recommended by 4 sources and appears in Most Recommended Books, Finance, and Politics.
With stark poignancy and political dispassion, Tightrope draws us deep into an "other America." The authors tell this story, in part, through the lives of some of the children with whom Kristof grew up, in rural Yamhill, Oregon, an area that prospered for much of the twentieth century but has been devastated in the last few decades as bluecollar j...
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Why recommended
Recommended by 4 sources and appears in Most Recommended Books, Finance, and Politics.
Recommended by notable people
People and public figures who have recommended this book.
Recommendation Signals
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Adam Grant
Organizational psychologist; Wharton professor
“Just finished "Tightrope" by Nick Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. Such a good book: Both sweeping and intimate in its portrait of all that has gone wrong for lowerincome Americans. I guess I'm a year late, but it's really good. | The Pulitzer Prizewinning authors paint a painfully vivid portrait of the challenges facing rural America. Picking up where Hillbilly Elegy and Strangers in Their Own Land left off, they trace how public policies have hurt workingclass families and ponder possibilities for change.”
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Not sure if this is the right fit?
Consider Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. Recommended by 31 sources.
“Outliers reads like a series of captivating magazine profiles, each unpacking a hidden factor behind extraordinary success. Gladwell’s storytelling makes complex social science accessible, but the book relies on memorable anecdotes rather than offering systematic analysis. The book explores the idea that individual brilliance rarely stands alone; success often hinges on birth dates, cultural legacies, and the 10,000-hour rule. While the narratives are strong, the book overgeneralizes from handpicked examples, leaving skeptical readers questioning the conclusions. It’s most useful as a conversation starter about luck and timing—annoying if you want a rigorous academic treatise or a how-to guide for your own life.”
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Each recommendation is collected from a public source — interviews, articles, or curated lists — and linked to its original URL. Books with many verifiable recommendations from respected people rank higher.