Week 13: How Do We Get America Back To Work?

When GM idled its plant in Janesville, Wisconsin in 2008, the town became emblematic of a crisis facing many communities in middle America. When traditional manufacturing leaves – for whatever reason – economies are turned upside down, the collective identity changes, and very often depression sets in. While it may seem outdated to some that a community will identify with a corporation, that’s just what happened for decades. Losing the plant left many in Janesville searching for a future.

This week, President Trump signed an executive order to bring jobs back to towns like Janesville, but the question is -- is it too little too late?

On this episode of Indivisible, host Kerri Miller talks with Amy Goldstein, author of “Janesville, An American Story,” and Linda Tirado, author of “Hand to Mouth: Living in Bootstrap America,” about the realities of the company town and what the future holds.

Here's the @AliaHanna story from Buzzfeed that @KerriMPR just mentioned on #indivisibleradio: https://t.co/avchqTimnj

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Indivisible Week 13: How Do We Get America Back To Work?

Host Kerri Miller looks at what happens to towns after major factories shutter.

This program is produced in partnership with WNYC Studios, Minnesota Public Radio News, and The Economist. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and come back Mondays through Thursdays for new episodes.

WNYC Studios is the producer of other leading podcasts including Radiolab, Freakonomics Radio, 2 Dope Queens, Death, Sex & Money, On the Media and many more.

The hosts include WNYC's Brian Lehrer, Minnesota Public Radio's Kerri Miller, WNYC's Kai Wright, John Prideaux and Anne McElvoy of The Economist and longtime conservative radio host Charlie Sykes.