Intro -- Title -- Contents -- Introduction: On Our Own -- 1: The Way We Worked -- 2: America Rediscovers Small Business -- 3: Business Owners of the World, Unite -- 4: White-Collar Growth Machine -- 5: Bring the Work Home -- 6: Land of Franchise -- 7: Be Your Own Boss -- 8: The Backbone -- 9: The New Gigs Arise -- Epilogue: The Way We Work -- Acknowledgments -- A Note on Sources -- Notes -- Production Credits -- Index -- Also by Benjamin C. Waterhouse -- Copyright

From side-hustlers to start-ups, freelancers to small business owners, Americans have a special affinity for people who make it on their own. But the dream has a dark side