Sarah Green Carmichael, my editor at Harvard Business Review, is the only reason I wrote my original Election Night article or this book. She clearly knows better than I do what I should write and when I should write it. She also knows how to improve my writing so it’s readable. I owe her.
This book was written under hydraulic time pressure, and yet four people took time out of their busy lives to read it and give me comments. Suzanne Lebsock took a lot of time, saving me from gross errors of fact, judgment, and taste. It is not every author who gets a MacArthur-certified genius as a writing coach, historical consultant, and proofreader. I am humbled that this book got such close attention from someone whose writing skills far exceed my own.
Jennifer Sherman, whose work I admire and rely on a lot, also gave me unvarnished comments just when I needed them. So did Shauna Marshall, whose anxiety that focusing on the white working class will reinforce racial hierarchy I did not fully allay, but I tried. Thanks, too, to Michael Mensah for reaching out to discuss the racial dynamic in Trump’s election.
Heather Boushey and Kavya Vaghul of the Center for Equitable Growth recalculated, on short notice, median incomes and other data so I could update definitions of the professional elite and the working class; I really appreciate their work. My agent, Roger S. Williams, of Roger Williams Agency, is the best agent a girl could have. Lisa McCorkell stayed up until 2:20 am to give me crucial comments and feedback, and then she and Marina Multhaup worked 24/7 to make the cites spic ‘n span (and accurate). Also supporting this large undertaking were Sonia Marton and Saima Ali. Hilary Hardcastle, my library liaison, provides the expert librarianship that has transformed my research life. Thanks to Frank Furstenberg, Nina Segre, and Linda Bialecki for reviewing the book on short notice. Thanks, too, to two old friends who helped me find stuff quick: Chris Foreman and Dorothy Ross.
My husband James X. Dempsey not only read this book and gave valuable comments; all of my thinking about the white working class reflects 40 years of conversations with him. My mother-in-law Ruth Dempsey kept my spirits up as only she can do. And my children kept me centered and down to earth. I love them very much.