her latest book, "down the up escalator: how the 99 percent live in the great recession", is concerned with the effects of the great recession "reshaping people's lives and prospects". kirkus reviews admires garson's "brutal clarity" and calls it a "skillful presentation that lifts the veil". george packer, writing in "the new yorker", says of garson, "she's written several books of social reportage about work and money, and this steady engagement over many decades has honed an appealing voice: wry, modest, realistic...like a sympathetic but slightly critical friend, ready with a hug and unable not to give advice."