Author: Middle Class May Never Rebound

Barbara Ehrenreich joined the ranks of America's financial underclass for a spell and wrote a book about it.

But for a growing segment of the U.S. population, there is nothing experimental or temporary about that life.

The author of "Nickel and Dimed" sees no quick recovery in sight for formerly middle class Americans ground down by job losses, the burst housing bubble and constricted credit.

Many of those families have gone from living the American dream to relying on Uncle Sam and other charities to feed themselves.

Reuters recently spoke with Ehrenreich about the new American poverty. An edited transcript follows. (more)