THE MORAL UNDERGROUND

HOW ORDINARY AMERICANS SUBVERT AN UNFAIR ECONOMY

BY LISA DODSON

In an age of increasing economic insecurity, millions more Americans find themselves living on an
economic fault line. Based on Lisa Dodson’s eight years of research and conversations with
hundreds of Americans, THE MORAL UNDERGROUND tells the stories of middle-class
managers and professionals who refuse to be complicit in an economy that puts a decent life beyond
the reach of the working poor. Whether it’s a nurse choosing to treat an uninsured child, a
supervisor padding a paycheck, or a restaurant manager sneaking food to workers’ children, these
unsung heroes are at the heart of a national tale of economic disobedience. And in their tales of
contemporary injustice, we hear the enduring American themes of civil disobedience, loyal
resistance, and acts of solidarity that have continually drawn ordinary people together.

THE MORAL UNDERGROUND captures what a cross-section of working- and middle-class

people have to say about making a living in America. We are often told Americans are passive in
the face of economic brutality and will blame each other rather than hold accountable those who
make the rules and hold wealth and power—Dodson has learned otherwise.

A professor of sociology at Boston College, Dodson delivers a surprising tale of people reaching
across the economic fault line to restore a sense of justice to the working world. This compelling
book reveals the remarkable truth of ordinary people who every day confront the need to create
ethical alternatives to rules that ignore the humanity of working parents and put their children at
risk. THE MORAL UNDERGROUND is a much-needed clarion call—one that is crucial for our
society to heed.