During Fall 2012 and Spring 2013, Social Problem (SOC201), taught by Sunghee Nam, students interviewed Ventura County residents with a set of questions regarding how the economic recession was affecting their lives, how they were coping with their hardship, and how these experiences changed their views on American society and American dream. The Great Economic Recession was the most momentous economic devastation since the Great Depression that the US has experienced. The real stories of how people experienced the Recession and how it has changed their lives and views on the American Dream are important resources for the policy makers and researchers who are interested in understanding the nature of the Economic Recession.