Fucked at Birth: Recalibrating the American Dream for the 2020s

Written by Dale Maharidge

Narrated by Kevin Stillwell

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Dale Maharidge has spent his career documenting the downward spiral of the American working class, and his new book explores the limits of the American Dream in the 2020s. Poverty is both reality and destiny for increasing numbers of people in the 2020s and, as Maharidge discovers spray-painted inside an abandoned gas station in the California desert, it is a fate often handed down from birth. Motivated by this haunting phrase—“Fucked at Birth”—Maharidge explores the realities of being poor in America in the coming decade, as pandemic, economic crisis and social revolution up-end the country. Part raw memoir, part dogged, investigative journalism, Fucked At Birth channels the history of poverty in America to help inform the voices Maharidge encounters daily. In an unprecedented time of social activism amid economic crisis, when voices everywhere are rising up for change, Maharidge’s journey channels the spirits of George Orwell and James Agee, raising questions about class, privilege, and the very concept of “upward mobility,” while serving as a final call to action. From Sacramento to Denver, Youngstown to New York City, Fucked At Birth dares readers to see themselves in those suffering most, and to finally—after decades of refusal—recalibrate what we are going to do about it.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Everand Productions
• Release date: Jun 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9781094418865

Dale Maharidge

For nearly four decades, Dale Maharidge has been one of America's leading chroniclers of poverty. Alongside photographer Michael S. Williamson, his book And Their Children After Them won the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction in 1990, revisiting the places and people of Depression-era America, depicted in Walker Evans's and James Agee's Let Us Now Praise Famous Men. Also with Williamson, Maharidge produced Journey to Nowhere: The Saga of the New Underclass, which Bruce Springsteen has credited as an influence for songs such as Youngstown"" and ""The New Timer.""""

Reviews for Fucked at Birth

[Gary Pellett · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Outstanding observations on this country/world of ours. We should all work towards improving it.

[G Clark · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Powerful, essential reading, F***ed At Birth chronicles the devastation of late capitalism, and the economic and social race-to-the-bottom that is the ongoing reality for the poor and working class in the U.S..

[Hypenotik Veritas · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book contains a valuable perspective. The world needs more authors like this.

[Peter Robertson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

An unflinching look at the post COVID state of our economy and society, work, the working poor and poverty in the United States. This is a clarion call, especially for today’s young people about to enter the the so-called ‘workforce’, to get involved in politics and change the narrative and trajectory of this country now. For liberals who may find some of the assumptions and conclusions of the author exaggerated or far-fetched, I dare anyone of them to prove the author wrong with their own research and evidence. An excellent, thought provoking and mind expanding exploration of the history unfinished work of the 1940’s to alleviate racism and classicism in the US, particularly at a time when war and militarism is now once again on the rise.

[Brandon Law · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Fear and paranoia combine in this pseudo-prophetic view of America’s dystopian future unless we adopt communist policies for wealth redistribution. Yawn. I’ve dug a lot of ditches and scrubbed many toilets on my way up. The America Dream is still available for those who hustle.

[r · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Out of touch drivel from a man, who can’t get past his own bitterness, toward his father, is inflexible and stuck on one narrative, for the past 30 years, to such an extent he can’t even see that the world has changed, and Bruce Springsteen is just another elitist shill. And now, sadly, so is the author, who once stood up for the working class, only to sellout for an Ivy league teaching appointment, the moment the elitists he claimed to despise, finally decided to allow him into their “club”. He only has courage when it’s easy. It’s hard NOW. Where is this man’s critical, voice when it is members of the “wrong” political party, sticking up for those guys? He is more loyal to his title, and the right to pretend he is above it, the leftists, hell bent on crushing his “beloved” working class? You are a hypocrite, Dale, it’s time to listen, to care, to stop being such a slave to the man and grow a spine. The image you crafted of yourself, for yourself, is a lie. We always wonder which side we may have been during some of the most horrific periods of history, and I think, thanks to Lockdowns, we see very clearly, who the cowards are. Used to love this journalist/author,

[Kila RingSlinger · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I was apparently expecting something different than what the topic actually was. Admittedly I flip through audiobooks based on narration more than the actual topic most of the time.

I guess I expected something like Crack addicted babies or...anything but yet another socialist blaming the existence they made, on people long dead.

In addition the author was all over the map in terms of subsets of topics. Started off about BLM and ended up on the Great Depression. Not so much confusing as just awkward transitions and all of it blaming his hated life on other people.

[Knox Brown · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Completely out of touch with the wealth of the common person compared to 1970 or 1950. Refuses to see that capitalism enables him to have such a wide reach

[Andrew Farnsworth · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A thought provoking listen. Some of the authors fears have temporarily seemed unfounded, especially the lack of employment opportunities after the pandemic. He is correct in everything else he says though, about the need for change and the need for more financial equality. Trickle down economics have failed America for 40 years. It needs a completely new plumbing system.

[Jakob Sletteland · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Enjoyable class/race conscious narrative journalism in the vein of an Orwell, or invoking a Studs Terckel, touching on pandemic impacts on the USA's class make-up as the author travels across the country, and the still growing oppression of major optical parties alike in their war on the poor and people of color. I appreciated the humanistic and open minded critique, only wishing it went farther in it's analysis of race/class/sex/gender liberation.

[Devon mau · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Not sure the words other then It’s a most read

[Michaela Sanford · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

What is this book even about? I swear they got a writing prompt that was like, “Write a book containing covid and social issues of 2020. But you only have one day.” And this author tried to piece a bunch of loose topics together by showing them a photo of graffiti that says “f*%ked at birth”.

[Smokey · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Basically was a long political opinion article. Some good info. Good narrator.