Dignity Not Debt - by Chrystin Ondersma (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Dignity Not Debt reimagines the American household debt landscape. Contrary to the myth that households can avoid debt troubles by taking on "good debt" and avoiding "bad debt," many Americans have no choice but to take on debt just to survive. And when they turn to debt for opportunities, these promised opportunities often never materialize. Chrystin Ondersma describes the brutal reality of Americans' experience with debt and dismantles the stubborn myths-including the myth of the free market-that continue to stand in the way of just and sensible economic policy. She offers a new taxonomy of household debt and a new vision for household debt policymaking-one rooted in the principle of human dignity rather than in myths. She gives American families the truth about household debt and policymakers exciting new strategies toward true prosperity and equality for American families"--

Book Synopsis

An earth-shaking reimagining of household debt that opens up a new path to financial security for all Americans.

American households have a debt problem. The problem is not, as often claimed, that Americans recklessly take on too much debt. The problem is that US debt policies have no basis in reality. Weaving together the histories and trends of US debt policy with her own family story, Chrystin Ondersma debunks the myths that have long governed debt policy, like the belief that debt leads to prosperity or the claim that bad debt is the result of bad choices, both of which nest in the overarching myth of a free market unhindered by government interference and accessible to all.

In place of these stale narratives, Ondersma offers a compelling, flexible, and reality-based taxonomy rooted in the internationally recognized principle of human dignity. Ondersma's new categories of debt--grounded in abolitionist principles--revolutionize how policymakers are able to think about debt, which will in turn revolutionize the American debt landscape itself.

From the Back Cover

"In this compelling and important book, Chrystin Ondersma makes the case for when abolishing debt is justified--and why. Essential reading."--Patricia A. McCoy, Liberty Mutual Insurance Professor, Boston College Law School

"Ondersma's visionary human rights framework­--new to the field of debt studies--transcends narrowly technical solutions to the debt crisis, and instead asks what we need to change in order to bring about the world in which we want to live. A highly original and valuable work."--Nathalie Martin, Frederick M. Hart Chair in Consumer and Clinical Law, University of New Mexico

"A passionate, deeply humane treatise on the maddening inequities of debt in the United States. Chrystin Ondersma understands that debt is not just numbers or interest rates or credit policy; debt is human beings, making unnavigable choices about healthcare, shelter, groceries, their very survival, in a system that has been built to profit from their need and from their pain. A rousing and persuasive argument that the problem of debt in America is a human rights crisis."--Rebecca Traister, New York Times bestselling author of Good and Mad: The Revolutionary Power of Women's Anger

Review Quotes

"Well researched, well written, and cogently argued. . . . Essential."-- "CHOICE"

About the Author

Chrystin Ondersma is a law professor at Rutgers Law School and an internationally recognized expert in bankruptcy and household debt. Her scholarship has been featured in numerous publications, podcasts, news articles, and conferences.