Three great authors show how the american dream unfolded after the 2. world war. Saul Bellow, Philip Roth and John Updike gave unforgettable insights to this period of growth and wealth. Their novels show how the americans perceived daily life for themselves and their children. Comparing these insights with data from social sciences paint a bleak picture of todays reality. Americans can look back with envy to an age, where unskilled and skilled jobs allowed millions to enter the middle class.

That postwar period was a golden age for middleclass americans. Many became houseowners. They had visions of an even better future life for their children. But something changed after 1979. Wages lowered, production jobs disappeared, the dream eroded.

Can the american dream be restored by a new vision for USA in the 21. century?