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WORK TITLE: Economic Inequality
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: https://www.coralcelestefrazer.com/
CITY: Norwich
STATE:
COUNTRY: United Kingdom
NATIONALITY:
RESEARCHER NOTES:
LC control no.: n 2017054727
Descriptive conventions:
rda
Personal name heading:
Frazer, Coral Celeste
Found in: Economic inequality, 2018: eCIP t.p. (Coral Celeste Frazer)
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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS AUTHORITIES
Library of Congress
101 Independence Ave., SE
Washington, DC 20540
PERSONAL
Married; children: son.
EDUCATION:Princeton University, M.A.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Novelist.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Sociologist Coral Celeste Frazer writes nonfiction for teenagers and young adults. With a master’s degree in sociology from Princeton University, she researches and writes about economic inequality, collective action, and social justice. She also prepares reading comprehension items for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Having lived in many parts of the United States, she now lives with her family in Norwich, England.
In 2018, Frazer published Economic Inequality: The American Dream under Siege aimed at helping young people understand the complicated issue of economic inequality in America. Despite the American Dream that says anyone can become successful, in reality, many policies and institutions exist to stack the deck against certain groups of people, such as women and minorities. Millions of Americans do not earn enough money for basic housing, food, healthcare, and education, as well as being unable to save money and escape debt and poverty. A huge gap exists between how much the bottom percentage earn and the top earners, and the gap is getting larger. She presents the statistic that the richest few men in America own as much wealth as half the world does. Increasingly, many young people in America today will not do better financially than the generation of their parents and grandparents. This makes the concept of the American Dream more difficult to achieve.
In the book, Frazer describes how inequality among economic groups in America came to be, from colonial times to present day. She explores the role of capitalism, taxes, government policy, and their effects, consequences, and human cost on the middle and lower classes. She explains changes in wages, unionization, outsourcing, college debt, and the fallacy of trickle-down theory. “With vibrant color photos and graphics, along with relevant primary source materials, Frazer empowers teens to help reduce economic inequality by becoming informed,” noted Aileen Valdes in Voice of Youth Advocates.
Frazer also presents solutions that state and local governments, businesses, and citizens are working on to close the economic gap between the ultra-rich and the poor so that American democracy can flourish. In this vein, she discusses redistribution, regulation, tax relief, and voting with your dollars. Despite the gloomy subject matter, “This remarkably evenhanded, lucid volume confidently leads readers through the murky world of wealth and economics in America,” declared Sarah Hunter in a review in Booklist. Hunter added that Frazer includes hopeful suggestions for consumers and citizens for changing things.
Frazer decided to write the book because she wanted to explain how the world worked, and her husband and editor liked the topic of economic inequality. She said on the Coral Celeste Frazer website: “There is something extremely satisfying about reading widely on a topic, while slowly gleaning facts, incidents, and patterns to weave into a compelling story or argument.” In an interview with Domenica Di Piazza on the Lerner blog, Frazer explained the need to present information on economic inequality to a young readership: “Most of the material out there for adults is inaccessible to the average teen because of all the jargon and assumed knowledge. Yet there’s no reason that teens can’t understand this stuff, if you take the time to explain the technical terms and provide the necessary background information.”
“Frazer has a bell-clear writing style, and the design is intriguing but not frenetic, with clear graphics and intuitive sidebar placement,” according to a Kirkus Reviews writer. Katherine Koenig noted in School Library Journal that Frazer’s assessment comes with a liberal leaning bent, but she “does her best, however, to maintain balance throughout, using neutral language and carefully giving credence to both sides of the debate.” Koenig also praised Frazer for incorporating a variety of viewpoints, such as gender, race, and socioeconomic and educational levels, rather than just monetary status.
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, February 1, 2018, Sarah Hunter, review of Economic Inequality: The American Dream under Siege, p. 40.
Kirkus Reviews, February 15, 2018, review of Economic Inequality.
School Library Journal, February 2018, Katherine Koenig, review of Economic Inequality.
Voice of Youth Advocates, April 2018, Aileen Valdes, review of Economic Inequality, p. 77.
ONLINE
Coral Celeste Frazer website, https://www.coralcelestefrazer.com/ (July 1, 2018), author profile.
Lerner, https://lernerbooks.blog/ (February 1, 2018), Domenica Di Piazza, author interview.
Meet Economic Inequality Author Coral Celeste Frazer
By Domenica Di Piazza, Editorial Director of Twenty-First Century Books
I invited one of Twenty-First Century Book’s newest writers–Coral Celeste Frazer–to talk about her new YA title for the imprint. Economic Inequality: The American Dream under Siege is out this spring.
In this starred review, Booklist praised Frazer’s approach, commenting that, “This remarkably even-handed, lucid volume confidently leads readers through the murky world of wealth and economics in America. . . . Instructive, galvanizing nonfiction for a critical issue with widespread effects.” You’ll want to add this title to your collection.
Q&A with Coral Celeste Frazer
Why do you write for teens?
I remember what it was like to be a teenager, how hungry I was to figure out how the world worked, and how much I hoped that, one day, I’d be able to make it a better place. I’m writing to reach that teenage me, plus the young people today with a similar hunger for knowledge and passion for social justice.
More specifically, why did you decide to write about economic inequality for teens?
That’s a good question. Many of my friends and acquaintances have been surprised—even skeptical—at the idea of a book on economic inequality for teens. I have to admit, it wasn’t my first thought either!
After I meet Domenica at the 21st Century Children’s Nonfiction Conference in New York in 2015, she invited me to brainstorm ideas for a book to work on together. I was putting together an email of ideas, and I wanted one more topic to round out the list. My husband suggested economic inequality. It was all over the news. Politicians on both sides of the aisle were talking about it. But despite its timeliness and importance, I was still surprised when that was the topic Domenica picked!
And the more I thought about it, the more I became convinced that this book was desperately needed. It’s hard to imagine anything that will have a bigger impact on the lives of young people than economic inequality. Concentration of wealth affects the quality of the education young people get, their chances of being able to afford to go to college, their chances of getting a job. It even affects how much their votes matter, as opposed to being drowned out by the interests of wealthy corporations.
Yet very little has been written on this topic for young people. Most of the material out there for adults is inaccessible to the average teen because of all the jargon and assumed knowledge. Yet there’s no reason that teens can’t understand this stuff, if you take the time to explain the technical terms and provide the necessary background information.
How did you do the research for this book? What did you learn in the process?
Economic Inequality author Coral Celeste Frazer
Coral Celeste Frazer
I learned an enormous amount, actually! Some aspects of this book were more familiar to me, like the chapter on inequality of opportunity. I’d studied a lot about social mobility and the injustices in our education system in grad school.
But other parts of the story were things about which I had only general knowledge and no real expertise. In a way, this was an advantage because the things I realized I didn’t fully understand were also things I knew I needed to explain in the book. Like, if I don’t really understand how economic bubbles work, I should definitely devote some time to that. Or, if my idea of what lobbyists do is a bit hazy, then I should include a sentence or two about that. So there was a lot of teaching myself so that I could teach others.
As for how I did the research, first, I read a lot of books and scholarly articles written by economists, sociologists, and political scientists. Throughout the process–researching, outlining, drafting, and revising the book–I spent a lot of time on the internet chasing down the latest available statistics to illustrate my claims and to back up my arguments. Things change quickly, especially in terms of who is richer than whom among the top of the top, and how big their fortunes are.
Meanwhile, it takes a lot of time to collect data about the general population and then to process that data and put it into a form that researchers and journalists and writers like me can use. So the numbers weren’t always as up-to-date as I would have liked. But I was very careful to make sure that I didn’t assert any facts without having evidence from a reliable source to back them up.
Finally, what do you like to read for leisure?
I’ve recently enjoyed the novels Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman, State of Wonder by Ann Patchett, and Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. If I want something fluffy to rest my brain, Georgette Heyer [an author or historical romances and detective fiction] often hits the spot.
Author: Coral Celeste Frazer
Coral Celeste Frazer has an M.A. in sociology from Princeton University and a long-standing interest in issues of inequality, collective action, and social justice. She writes nonfiction and fiction for teens and adults, as well as reading comprehension items for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). She has lived in Colorado, Oregon, New Jersey, and Boston, and now resides in Norwich, England, with her husband and son.
Economic Inequality
The American Dream under Siege
Interest Level: Grade 8 - Grade 12 · Reading Level: Grade 8
Millions of Americans don't earn enough money to pay for decent housing, food, health care, and education. Increasingly, families and young people aren't doing better than their parents and grandparents before them. In fact, they're doing worse. And women and minorities earn less than white men. The American Dream is harder to achieve than ever before. Meanwhile, the rich keep getting richer. Many Americans are angry about economic inequality, and many are working on solutions. Readers will learn how state and local governments, businesses, and ordinary citizens--including young people--are fighting to close the gap between rich and poor, to preserve the promises of American democracy, and to give everyone a fair shot at the American Dream.
Interest Level Grade 8 - Grade 12
Reading Level Grade 8
BISACS YAN040000, YAN051030, YAN010000
Genre Nonfiction, Young Adult
Subject Social Studies
Copyright 2018
Publisher Lerner Publishing Group
Imprint Twenty-First Century Books
Language English
Number of Pages 128
Publication Date 2018-01-01
ISBN 9781512431070, 9781512498868
Title Format Library Bound Hardcover, Multi-user ebook
Dewey 339.2/20973
Dimensions 6 x 9
Lexile 1110
Features Bibliography/further reading, Author/Illustrator biography, Index, Source notes, Starred Reviews, and Reviewed
Coral Celeste Frazer has an M.A. in sociology from Princeton University and a long-standing interest in issues of inequality, collective action, and social justice. She writes nonfiction and fiction for teens and adults, as well as reading comprehension items for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).
How I Came to Write a Book on Economic Inequality for Young Adults:
My first piece of writing was a story called The Magic Rainbow, which I wrote when I was seven years old. My teacher seemed to like it, and my mother kept it and pasted it in my scrapbook, which is why I have it now. But I remember being frustrated because I hadn’t had time to finish it. In fact, I’d barely begun. I’d set out the premise of a rainbow made of gold, and - that was it. Time was up and we had to stop writing. But it wasn’t even a story yet. There were going to be people who were searching for the gold—who really needed it for some reason or other. They would have a great adventure getting to the end of the rainbow, only to be crushed to find no pot of gold waiting there. But eventually they would figure out that a very clever leprechaun had somehow hidden the gold IN the rainbow, and... Well, I wasn’t sure exactly what would happen after that, but somehow it would all end happily.
As the years went by, I continued to run out of time before I could fully develop my ideas. I would turn in a short story, which was really a piece of a much longer and more complicated novel that I never actually wrote. I always knew that I wanted to write books (probably long complicated books that took a while to build up to the main idea), but I always doubted that I could. As an excruciatingly shy child, books were my inspiration and my solace, my friends and my teachers. They gave me insights into other times and places, both real and imaginary. They gave me glimpses into other minds. How did their authors know so much? I was a timid little girl growing up in a small town in western Colorado. How would I ever know anything about the big wide world? How would I ever have a clue what other people – normal people – think and feel?
In college, I explored different fields that I thought might help me answer my two burning questions: How does the world work? How do people work? My first question was mostly about the social world, so I took some history, some anthropology, a class or two in politics, a few philosophy courses. My second question was about getting into people’s heads, so I tried psychology. Literature also had its merits as a way of getting into heads, but I read plenty of fiction on my own. I wanted to learn about the world in a different way. Finally, I hit on sociology. It was a revelation. Anthropology had almost won me over; I loved learning about other cultures. But the emphasis on respecting other ways of life, while appealing on one level, was also unsatisfying to a judgmental person like myself. All cultures offer things of value, yes, absolutely. And all peoples are worthy of respect. But surely some traits in a society are better than others: equality and justice over misogyny and racism and fascism and slavery. Sociology allowed me to turn the lens on my own culture, and to think about how prejudice and injustice are built into the system, and into our own minds, in ways we often don’t even realize. It offered a tantalizing possibility: maybe after we understand the way the world works, we can also change it for the better.
College was fun, and fascinating, and I learned a lot. I still didn’t know enough to write a book though. Nor could I figure out any other career. I decided to go to back to school and get a PhD. Maybe I’d become a professor. I enrolled in a prestigious sociology program and completed an MA. In the process, I learned some interesting things about how the world works, and some important things about myself - one of which was, academia is not for me. So, no PhD and no becoming a professor. What then?
I still wanted to write books.
Could I do that?
I hadn’t figured out the answers to my two burning questions: How does the world work? How do people work? But I HAD figured out that NO ONE else knew either. Or at least, they knew parts of the answer, with lots of conditions, qualifications, ifs, ands, and buts. No one knew the whole complete thing in all its magnificent, inconsistent, self-contradictory glory. Which meant that no one could tell me I was wrong! That was a freeing thought. I could offer my own take on one or both of the burning questions, and even though my answers would necessarily be incomplete, they wouldn’t necessarily be incorrect.
So all right then. But what kind of book should I write?
Reading had been the purest pleasure in childhood, and I knew I wanted to write books for young people. I had always dreamed of writing fiction, but college and graduate school taught me that I also had a passion for writing nonfiction. There is something extremely satisfying about reading widely on a topic, while slowly gleaning facts, incidents, and patterns to weave into a compelling story or argument. So in June of 2015, I attended the 21st Century Children’s Nonfiction Conference, where I met Domenica DiPiazza, editor of Twenty-First Century Books. We decided we wanted to work on a book together, and she invited me to send her an email after the conference with some ideas. I had a couple floating around in the back of my mind, but wanted a third to round out the list. My brilliant husband suggested doing something on economic inequality. It’s like a mystery story, he said. What caused the rise in economic inequality? That sounded good—lots of people were talking about economic inequality, and President Obama had recently said it was one of the most important issue of our time. So I dashed off a little blurb.
Of course, that was the topic Domenica chose. When she asked me to write up a proposal, I had a moment of panic. A book on the causes and consequences of economic inequality? For teens? It was such a huge, complicated, multifaceted issue. I wasn’t sure I could get my own mind around it, much less explain it in a way that a 13 year old could understand. But I started reading as widely as possible –there were plenty of books, scholarly articles, and news stories on the topic. The statistics were mindboggling. But so what? (This question was relentlessly and mercilessly fired at me in grad school. I hated it, and it was probably the most helpful training I ever got.) So the richest few men in the country owned as much wealth as half the world. So what? So a handful of Wall Street brokers made as much in bonuses as all the minimum wage workers in the country made in a year. So what?
The so what, I realized, could be broken down into three main areas. Extreme inequality impairs (1) the functioning of our economy, (2) the functioning of our democracy, and (3) the ability of our young people, especially those from a poor background, to get ahead. So I would have a chapter on economics, one on politics, and one on social mobility, with a focus on inequalities in education. I drew up what was probably the most detailed proposal Domenica had ever seen. (It was my first book proposal; I didn’t know what I was doing. Or, I had to prove to myself, as much as to her, that I did know what I was doing.) She trimmed it down a bit, asked me to add some images to spice it up, and sold it to the marketing people. And after a lot of hard work, and several rounds of intensive editing with Domenica and another editor named Peg Goldstein, Economic Inequality: The American Dream Under Siege came out on January 1, 2018. My first fully completed piece of writing.
About Coral Celeste Frazer
Work
Self-Employed
Freelance Writer
Writer of non-fiction and fiction for young adults.
Current City and Hometown
Norwich, Norfolk
Current city since August 19, 2015
Montrose, Colorado
Hometown
Other Places Lived
Somerville, Massachusetts
Moved on July 1, 2007
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https://www.coralcelestefrazer.com/
Frazer, Coral Celeste. Economic Inequality: The American Dream Under Siege
Aileen Valdes
Voice of Youth Advocates. 41.1 (Apr. 2018): p77.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2018 E L Kurdyla Publishing LLC
http://www.voya.com
Full Text:
5Q * 3P * J
Frazer, Coral Celeste. Economic Inequality: The American Dream Under Siege. Twenty-First Century/Lerner, January 2018. 128p. PLB $37.32. 978-1-5124-3107-0. Table of Contents. Photos. Illus. Biblio. Source Notes. Index. Further Information. Glossary.
Is the American dream accessible to all Americans? The gap between America's "rich" and "poor" continues to widen, becoming seemingly insurmountable. Providing a history of financial inequality from the colonial era to modern times, Economic Inequality presents a general discussion of money, taxes, and the role of government in a capitalist society, focusing primarily on the middle and lower classes. Evincing a fiscally liberal viewpoint, the author speaks plainly as she contrasts the relatively mild issues faced by the ultra-wealthy against the harrowing economic conditions and their consequences faced by women and various races. In a nation for all, argues the author, the uber-wealthy should not have an oversized influence.
Sociologist Frazer presents a meticulously researched and concise book on the history and effects of economic inequality in the United States, as well as possible solutions. In-text definitions flow seamlessly in this easy-to-grasp introduction to not only economic inequality, but also American economics in general, aided by a glossary in the back of the book. The author clearly depicts the human cost of escalating economic gaps--often a combination of social customs and laws--that prevent many Americans from saving money, getting an education, and escaping debt and poverty. With vibrant color photos and graphics, along with relevant primary source materials, Frazer empowers teens to help reduce economic inequality by becoming informed and involved in the political process. This book deserves a spot in all young adult nonfiction collections.--Aileen Valdes.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Valdes, Aileen. "Frazer, Coral Celeste. Economic Inequality: The American Dream Under Siege." Voice of Youth Advocates, Apr. 2018, p. 77. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A536746220/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=80aded86. Accessed 23 June 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A536746220
Frazer, Coral Celeste: ECONOMIC INEQUALITY
Kirkus Reviews. (Feb. 15, 2018):
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2018 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Frazer, Coral Celeste ECONOMIC INEQUALITY Twenty-First Century/Lerner (Young Adult Informational) $37.32 4, 1 ISBN: 978-1-5124-3107-0
The wheres, whys, and hows of economic inequality in the United States.
This exemplary piece of introductory economics deserves a place in every middle and high school library across the land. Frazer has a bell-clear writing style, and the design is intriguing but not frenetic, with clear graphics and intuitive sidebar placement. After a brief but complete look at the roots of economic inequality--from the early American Colonial period through the Gilded Age and then unionization (one bright spot) to outsourcing and automation--Frazer proceeds to demonstrate the changes in wages and accumulation over the last half-century. Two chapters that cover the costs of inequality and limits to opportunities give Frazer a chance to explore the gender and racial aspects of wealth accumulation, especially how money makes money. Frazer keeps an even attitude but can't help but point a finger here and there. On trickle down, she writes, "The wealthy tend to invest a relatively small percentage of their money in projects that hire American workers." The importance of schooling and the burden of college debt lead to a sharp but balanced look at money and power--specifically government. The book concludes with points taken on redistribution, regulation, tax relief, reunionization, citizen action, and voting with your dollars.
A fine example of taking the dismal science and making it everyday-usable and giving it a little vroom. (Nonfiction. 12-16)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Frazer, Coral Celeste: ECONOMIC INEQUALITY." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Feb. 2018. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A527247998/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=a90887ef. Accessed 23 June 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A527247998
Economic Inequality: The American Dream under Siege
Sarah Hunter
Booklist. 114.11 (Feb. 1, 2018): p40.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2018 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist/
Full Text:
* Economic Inequality: The American Dream under Siege. By Coral Celeste Frazer. Apr. 2018.128p. illus. Lerner/Twenty-First Century, lib. ed., $37.32 (9781512431070). 339.2. Gr. 7-10.
This remarkably evenhanded, lucid volume confidently leads readers through the murky world of wealth and economics in America. After laying out some basic concepts and key moments in economic history, Frazer dives into our current state of economic inequality, wherein a small number of individuals own the majority of the country's wealth, and government policies serve to help the rich get richer. There are a lot of moving parts, of course, but Frazer handily touches on a significant majority, including systemic poverty, racial discrimination, tax loopholes, wage gaps, corporate lobbying, the myth of the American dream, unions, campaign finance, bank deregulation, and voter-suppression policies. Though her angle is clear--wealth inequality is a significant problem in America, and current policies are only serving to exacerbate it--she doesn't ignore opposing viewpoints, giving readers an opportunity to consider both sides. That said, her case is convincing and well supported by evidence, and she does an excellent job of offering concrete context for the dizzying stream of statistics and numbers while encouraging readers to use critical thinking when considering political messaging. Though the message at times seems bleak, especially given how disproportionately wealth inequality affects young, college-bound Americans, she ends on a hopeful note with suggestions for getting involved as a consumer and citizen. Instructive, galvanizing nonfiction for a critical issue with widespread consequences.--Sarah Hunter
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Hunter, Sarah. "Economic Inequality: The American Dream under Siege." Booklist, 1 Feb. 2018, p. 40. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A527771883/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=4bd46199. Accessed 23 June 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A527771883
Copyright 2018 School Library Journal.
Frazer, Coral Celeste: ECONOMIC INEQUALITY
School Library Journal
SLJ Reviews 2018 February
Gr 8 Up—Frazer begins with a history of the American economy, from colonial times to the present. She then defines the extent of current inequalities and the consequences thereof, followed by a discussion of how and why inequality of opportunity is, more often than not, a self-fulfilling prophecy. Final chapters venture into the politics of economic policy and suggestions for citizen participation in the political process. Photos, graphs, charts, sidebars, and the back matter aid in understanding of social and economic concepts and issues. Fifteen of 17 source notes are from websites, such as the Huffington Post and opensecrets.org. The selected bibliography is comprised of 27 sources, 19 of which are websites. The earliest publication date is 2008, with the majority from 2013–17. It would be impossible to approach this topic without bias, particularly in the current polarized political climate, and the author's is subtle but left-leaning. Frazer does her best, however, to maintain balance throughout, using neutral language and carefully giving credence to both sides of the debate. She analyzes from a variety of viewpoints, including gender, race, and socioeconomic and educational levels, thus delving deeper than examining monetary status. VERDICT This is a valuable resource for young adults attempting to untangle the complexities of economics as wells as claims and counterclaims in the political sphere.—Katherine Koenig, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh