Glass House: The 1% Economy and the Shattering of the All-American Town

Brian Alexander

Apr 2017 · Highbridge Audio · Narrated by Bob Souer

About this audiobook

The Anchor Hocking Glass Company, once the world's largest maker of glass tableware, was the base on which Lancaster's society was built. As Glass House unfolds, bankruptcy looms. With access to the company and its leaders, and Lancaster's citizens, Alexander shows how financial engineering took hold in the 1980s, accelerated in the 21st Century, and wrecked the company. We follow CEO Sam Solomon, an African-American leading the nearly all-white town's biggest private employer, as he tries to rescue the company from the New York private equity firm that hired him. Meanwhile, Alexander goes behind the scenes, entwined with the lives of residents as they wrestle with heroin, politics, high-interest lenders, low wage jobs, technology, and the new demands of American life: people like Brian Gossett, the fourth generation to work at Anchor Hocking; Joe Piccolo, first-time director of the annual music festival who discovers the town relies on him, and it, for salvation; Jason Roach, who police believed may have been Lancaster's biggest drug dealer; and Eric Brown, a local football hero-turned-cop who comes to realize that he can never arrest Lancaster's real problems.

Ratings and reviews

Having grown up conservative in the 50’s and 60’s, I emerged from a preoccupation with raising kids and working, looked around and wondered, “What happened?” . By following the lives of several people from all walk of life who got their start in a small town through its decline, this book answered that question. The research was thorough and results detailed to an extent that might turn off the casual reader. Recommended for a economics program or book club as the answer is not easy.

About the author

Brian Alexander is a two-time finalist for the National Magazine Award. He has been recognized by Medill School of Journalism's John Bartlow Martin awards for public interest journalism, the Association of Healthcare Journalists, and other organizations. He has been a columnist for NBC News. He grew up in Lancaster, Ohio.

Bob Souer is a full-time professional storyteller and narrator. He has narrated numerous audiobooks, as well as broadcast and nonbroadcast projects for corporations and ministries across North America. You've heard Bob's voice on CBS, PBS, the History Channel, and many other networks.