'An urgent manifesto for collective healing.' David Lammy MP This landmark book tackles a deceptively simple idea: the more we spend time with people unlike ourselves, doing things together, the more understanding, tolerant, and even friendly we become. Combining fresh analysis with a wealth of fascinating examples, Jon Yates demonstrates the ways in which our societies have become disconnected, so that most of us spend less and less time with people who are different - as defined by age, race, or class, earning power or education. By answering a series of surprising questions, Yates reveals a set of truths that will change the way you think about yourself and those around you. What unites the England football team, the iPod and Singapore? How did a city that funded its schools the least become the best place to grow up poor? How did Silicon Valley come from nowhere to dominate the tech industry? How did a village of Italian-Americans become incredibly healthy while smoking cigars, drinking red wine and never exercising? And why is talking to our friends about politics the worst thing we can do for our democracy? Fractured is ultimately an optimistic book, showing convincingly how great people are when they're united in diversity. It argues that the pandemic has created an unprecedented opportunity for us to come together. So we must forge a new 'Common Life' - a set of shared practises and institutions - that can strengthen the glue that bonds our societies, in all their diversity. For the health of our democracy, our society, and our economy, the time to act is now.

You're being overcharged on your electric bill. Your health insurance denies a claim you know it should pay. The airline refuses to reimburse you for your lost luggage. Your contractor disappeared with the down payment. You just got a parking ticket for someone else's car.

If these problems sound familiar, this is the book for you. As creator of the popular "What's Your Problem?" column in the Chicago Tribune, Jon Yates has helped thousands of people take charge of their problems and get satisfaction from airlines, utilities, government agencies, health insurance companies, and more. His readers have already gotten back more than $1 million of their hard-earned money from greedy businesses and agencies--and now you can too Packed with tips, strategies, and dozens of real life examples and success stories, What's Your Problem? is a must-have book for every household in America.