Rebecca J. Rosen is a senior editor at The Atlantic, where she oversees the Business Channel. She was previously an associate editor at The Wilson Quarterly.
A lot of research and writing explores the dynamics of the richest one percent, .1 percent, and even the .01 percent. But researchers only have the fuzziest understanding of America's poorest.
More than a decade ago, the show Radio Diaries captured the stories of New Yorkers working jobs in dying industries. Today, their voices remind us of a city and a time that no longer exists.