The new anthology Tales of Two Americas: Stories of Inequality in a Divided Nation features essays by 36 major contemporary writers talking about the socioeconomic divide that in many ways has become a chasm.

From entrenched racism to the war on drugs to immigration polices and beyond, these writers lay bare the most difficult challenges facing not just individuals, but the American Dream itself. 

Morning Shift talks to two writers — one of whom contributed to the book and the other who works closely with the book’s editor — about how they think and write about the two Americas they see.