Sarah Stankorb is a contributor to GOOD and CNNMoney/Small Business and has published with outlets including TheAtlantic.com, Salon, Babble, and The Morning News. She studied ethics at the University of Chicago and just finished a novel about growing up without faith. Her influences include a Rust Belt upbringing among people who—despite everything the world had shown them—believed hard work would result in the American dream. She lives in Ohio and tweets @sarahstankorb.