The document summarizes Gregory Mantsios' analysis of class in America. It shows that the American class system is very much alive through statistical data that reveals significant imbalances in the distribution of wealth. Society generally does not acknowledge the unofficial class divides, but statistics demonstrate that the gaps between the upper and lower classes are larger than ever in history. Nearly one in eight Americans live below the poverty line, and only a small number are able to escape poverty, showing a lack of equal opportunity defined by one's circumstances of birth including race, gender and class.