'My Personal Crisis' is everybody's personal crisis

Edmund L. Andrews' "My Personal Crisis" hasn't even officially been published yet, but has already drawn plenty of understanding nods from across cyberspace. Slated to run in Sunday's New York Times Magazine, the article documents Andrews' descent into irreversible debt, with a house he loves but can't afford playing a starring role.

It's not hard to understand why Andrews' story is so powerful. Every generation has its own classic tragedy, a passion play whose steps are well-worn and obvious, but nonetheless painful and moving. Like an mid-eighties after-school special, Andrews' tale is unique, but painfully familiar.