Hidden America by Jeanne Marie Laskas was published by The Penguin Group in September of 2012 at 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA. Hidden America is an amazing book that is both enlightening and entertaining. Laskas’s research on the working class comes right from the sources. She writes about a handful of jobs and gives the reader perspective on the forgotten men and women who make our country run. Not only does Laskas bring light to the jobs that are essential to America, she shines that light on the lives of the workers. Hidden America is as American as it can get, showing the true structure of a great nation.
   

Laskas’s purpose was to inform and enlighten the readers on the lives of workers who spend their days performing challenging and jobs that aren’t recognized enough. The book is convincing in substance due to the real life situations Laskas writes about. She only writes about true workers at real jobs, everything in her books are factual. Her book is not biased or unfair because she interviewed and experienced the jobs for herself and never discussed her opinion. It is an accurate source of information for now, but as time goes on, certain topics discussed may get outdated. Laskas really talks about the employees and analyzes them and their importance to their jobs. Take the men of Hopedale Mining company in Cadiz, Ohio for example. Laskas spent several weeks with themp both below and above ground, and by the end, you will know not only about their work, but about Pap and his dying mom, Smitty and the mail-order bride who stood him up at the airport, and Scotty and his thwarted dreams of becoming a boxing champion. That is only one hidden world. Others that she explores: an Alaskan oil rig, a migrant labor camp in Maine, the air traffic control center at LaGuardia Airport in New York, a beef ranch in Texas, a landfill in California, a long-haul trucker in Iowa, a gun shop in Arizona, and the Cincinnati Ben-Gals cheerleaders, mere footnotes in the money making spectacle that is professional football.
   

Hidden America’s arguments are all well supported with statistical facts and quotes from the workers, such as when Laskas is discussing the dangers on working in air traffic control. Laskas states “Nationwide, controller errors increase by 53 percent in 2010” (Laskas 139). She uses statistics to provide the reader with information that will increase their curiosity and interest for each job written in the book. She provides adequate evidence and convinces the readers that each job no matter how big or small is important and always will be by giving diving deep into the heart of the jobs and showing how much America needs them. The books organization is quite well, having each job being a whole chapter makes reading and evaluating it easier. All parts of the book are well reasoned and developed no matter how simple the job was, Laskas went above and beyond when delivering the information. Her well written book would appeal to any and everyone interested in learning about some of the important jobs that make America function.
   

Jeanne Marie Laskas’s book, Hidden America, is an outstanding work of literature. With it’s facial evidence and relatable topics, this book is nothing short from greatness. This book will go down in history as a source of information and a mind opener. With the diversity of jobs and workers, Laskas has really made a book for the century. Most books that are read in schools are from other time periods and are not nearly as relevant. But Laskas has created a book that anyone can read and relate to especially since it’s recent and real.