ABOUT THE BOOK

Debt’s Grip tells the story of financial struggle in the United States. Drawing on original data from the Consumer Bankruptcy Project, a landmark, long-term study, the authors use the words of bankruptcy filers themselves to shed light on their battles to keep their homes and their cars, pay for healthcare and higher education, care for their children, find adequate employment, retire, negotiate with debt collectors, and confront discrimination in lending.

Laying bare the consequences of risk privatization, this book makes a powerful case for why the United States must confront the structural inequities that cause so many—especially Black families, women, and the elderly—to struggle in today’s economy.

Publication date is August 5, 2025.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Deborah Thorne is Professor of Sociology at the University of Idaho.

LEARN MORE

To learn more about Debt’s Grip, read the reviews, and order your copy, simply click on the image of the book cover. It will take you directly to University of California Press’ website.

Note that Debt’s Grip is also available at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and Bookshop.org.

Pamela Foohey is the Allen Post Professor of Law at the University of Georgia. The link to her personal website is here.

Robert M. Lawless is the Max L. Rowe Professor of Law at the University of Illinois. The link to his personal website is here.