'The Debt Trap' author on the generational setbacks from student loans

As students across the country head back to school, we've heard a lot about the health dilemmas they and their parents are facing, but it turns out there is another crisis students and families are facing that's been around for decades, affects millions of people for years after they leave school and somehow gets less attention. We are talking about student loan debt. Americans owe some $1.7 trillion in student loan debt, and that's not just a scary number. Our next guest, a journalist who's been tracking the issue for years, says it is a phenomenon that is shaping everything from decisions about buying homes to starting a business to when to get married.

In his new book, Wall Street Journal reporter Josh Mitchell tells the story of how programs meant to be a ticket to the middle class grew to be an anchor around the necks of millions of Americans. It's called "The Debt Trap: How Student Loans Became A National Catastrophe." And Josh Mitchell is with us now to tell us more. Josh, thanks so much for joining us.

Read more at npr.com . . .