- A lot of the first portion of the book covers the changes in the types of jobs available in America over the last several decades. Do you think you have more financial stability in your work than your parents and grandparents? How do you think work might be different for your kids, if you have them?
- Hughes speaks about the mix of luck and hard work that brought him nearly half a billion dollars for three years of work at Facebook. How do you think about the tie between work and wealth in America? Do most people get what they work for? What role is fortune and luck playing in the lives of the wealthiest?
- As the book discusses, globalization and automation have changed the nature of jobs in the U.S., shipping many jobs overseas and making others obsolete. Have you or people you know had personal experiences with these factors affecting their careers? Do you think automation and artificial intelligence might change the overall number of jobs in the future?
- Fair Shot proposes a guaranteed income of $500 for people making $50,000 or less a year, to be paid for by the wealthiest Americans. Hughes makes the case that a modest amount of money, distributed monthly in a predictable way, can stabilize the lives of the working poor and middle class. What about this resonates with you? What are you skeptical about?
- The book advocates for an expanded definition of work to include traditionally unpaid and unrecognized work. Do you believe that people who go to school, take care of sick or elderly family members or care for young children should be compensated? Why or why not?
- As the book outlines, a guaranteed income would especially benefit people of color. How do you think race has affected economic class in America? How would a guaranteed income affect the distribution of wealth in the United States?
- Would you or your family benefit from the expanded Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Fair Shot proposes? If so, what difference would an extra $500 a month mean to you?
- Aside from those who would directly benefit financially from the expanded EITC covered in the book, what other effects do you think it could have on communities and local economies?