Rethinking the American Dream

I recently read an article in the April 2009 issue of Vanity Fair entitled, “Rethinking the American Dream.” The title caught my eye as I find myself thinking a lot about the ruinous economic quagmire the United States is desperately trying to pull itself out of. Much of it has to do with a record number of mortgage defaults as a result of some very unscrupulous lending practices, easy credit, and an unregulated credit derivatives market. Aside from all of this, the article piqued my interest because I thought it might shed some light on the mythology underlying the American Dream of home ownership and why it continues to be so highly sought after even though it is increasingly out of reach for so many ordinary Americans.

I snooped around in the library catalog and sure enough my astute colleagues at the Austin Public Library have already added pertinent titles to the collection. I’ve listed a few below.

House lust: America's obsession with our homes

Home ownership: the American myth

The squandering of America: how the failure of our politics undermines our prosperity

Sex and real estate: why we love houses

The way we'll be: the Zogby report on the dramatic changes transforming the American dream