"In Tales of Two Americas, some of the literary world's most exciting writers look beyond numbers and wages to convey what it feels like to live in this divided nation. Their extraordinarily powerful stories, essays, and poems demonstrate how boundaries break down when experiences are shared, and that in sharing our stories we can help to alleviate a suffering that touches so many people."--Page 4 of cover.

Death by Gentrification / Rebecca Solnit -- i'm sick of pretending to give a shit about what whypeepo think / Danez Smith -- Notes of a Native Daughter / Sandra Cisneros -- Dosas / Edwidge Danticat -- American Work / Richard Russo -- Fieldwork / Manuel Munoz -- For the Ones Who Put Their Name on the Wall / Juan Felipe Herrera -- Trash Food / Chris Offutt -- Some Houses (Various Stages of Dissolve) / Claire Vaye Watkins -- Mobility / Julia Alvarez -- Youth From Every Quarter / Kirstin Valdez Quade -- Outside / Kiese Laymon -- White Debt / Eula Biss -- Leander / Joyce Carol Oates -- Fault Lines / Ru Freeman -- We Share the Rain, Not Much Else / Timothy Egan -- Blood Brother / Sarah Smarsh -- Hillsides and Flatlands / Hector Tobar -- Invisible Wounds / Jess Ruliffon -- How / Roxane Gay -- Enough to Lose / RS Deeren -- To the Man Asleep in Our Driveway Who Might be Named Phil / Anthony Doerr -- Soup Kitchen / Annie Dillard -- Howlin' Wolf / Kevin Young -- Looking for a Home / Karen Russell -- Visible City / Rickey Laurentiis -- Portion / Joy Williams -- Apartment 1G / Nami Mun -- Happy / Brad Watson -- A Good Neighbor is Hard to Find / Whitney Terrell -- Here in a State of Tectonic Tension / Lawrence Joseph -- Once There was a Spot / Larry Watson -- Hurray for Losers / Dagoberto Gilb -- La Ciudad Magica / Patricia Engel -- American Arithmetic / Natalie Diaz -- The Worthless Servent / Ann Patchett.Rebecca Solnit -- Danez Smith -- Sandra Cisneros -- Edwige Danticat -- Richard Russo -- Manuel Muñoz -- Juan Felipe Herrera -- Chris Offutt -- Claire Vaye Watkins -- Julia Alvarez -- Kirstin Valdez Quade -- Kiese Laymon -- Eula Biss -- Joyce Carol Oates -- Ru Freeman -- Timothy Egan -- Sarah Smarsh -- Héctor Tobar -- Jess Ruliffson -- Roxane Gay -- RS Deeren -- Anthony Doerr -- Annie Dillard -- Kevin Young -- Karen Russell -- Rickey Laurentiis -- Joy Williams -- Nami Mun -- Brad Watson -- Whitney Terrell -- Lawrence Joseph -- Larry Watson -- Dagoberto Gilb -- Patricia Engel -- Natalie Diaz -- Ann Patchett. Death by gentrification / i'm sick of pretending to give a shit about what whypeepo think / Notes of a native daughter / Dosas / American work / Fieldwork / For the ones who put their names on the wall / Trash food / Some houses (various stages of dissolve) / Mobility / Youth from every quarter / Outside / White debt / Leander / Fault lines / We share the rain, and not much else / Blood brother / Hillsides and flatlands / Invisible wounds / How / Enough to lose / To the man asleep in our driveway who might be named Phil / Soup kitchen / Howlin' Wolf / Looking for a home / Visible city / Portion / Apartment 1G / Happy / Good neighbor is hard to find / Here in a state of tectonic tension / Once there was a spot / Hurray for losers / Ciudad mágica / American arithmetic / Worthless servant /