Who We are Now by Sam Roberts

Who We are Now by Sam Roberts

A revealing view of America and its citizens at the dawn of a new century, by the author of the New York Times Notable Book Who We Are

For more than two centuries, America has taken stock every decade, producing a statistical self-portrait of our population. In Who We Are Now, Sam Roberts identifies and illuminates the trends and social shifts changing the face of America today.

America is in the midst of a fundamental transformation. The nation's complexion changed significantly over the twentieth century, creating more varied and intermingled identities, and with the baby boomers nearing retirement and their children entering college, the graying of America has been balanced, precariously, by the youth culture. And in the wake of welfare reform in the 1990s, the fate of the working poor has become all the more tenuous. Roberts masterfully weaves stories of individuals from all corners of the country alongside the data from the latest U.S. census, creating a compelling guided tour of the places, personalities, and politics that will shape America as the new century stretches before us.

The New York Times's Urban Affairs Correspondent is Sam Roberts. He used to work for The New York Daily News as the city editor. His work has garnered accolades from the Newspaper Guild of New York and the Peter Kihss Prize for the City of New York, among others. Who We Are Now and The Brother, which was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, are two of his books. His work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The New Republic, New York Magazine, and Empire State Report, among other publications. Where else does he live?