In his backward glance McCrory leads the reader through historical attempts to protect workers then brings the discussion into the 21st century to contemplate the obstacles facing workers today. The gig economy, AI, healthcare, criminal justice, homelessness and housing are just a few of the subjects the book attempts to tackle and encourage dialogue among friends and neighbors.
“My hope with this book is to help the next generation of activists – labor and political – figure out how we got here, what the immediate future holds, and provide some suggestions for a better future,” says McCrory. Throughout the book, the message is sometimes explicit, sometimes not as obvious: the labor movement, with its collective voice, can save the middle class.