HOME OF THE BRAVE?

It is the most developed capitalist nation in the world, but there is more to the USA than shiny cadillacs, penthouses and luxury swimming pools. Behind the Hollywood luxury of the owning class lurks the reality for many members of the American working class. "A long way down the US housing ladder, beneath the grisly 'projects' of The Wire and the trailer parks hymned by Eminem, beneath the slums of New Orleans and the ghettos of Detroit, you'll find the long-stay hotel. Cheap, not very cheerful, and pretty much a last resort, these institutions provide four walls and a roof, for a few hundred bucks a month. It's some of the cheapest accommodation you'll find anywhere in the US, aside from a cardboard box. Long-stay hotels can be found in almost every major American city." (Independent, 3 September) RD