Class Lives: Stories from across Our Economic Divide

by Chuck Collins (Editor), Jennifer Ladd (Editor), Maynard Seider (Editor)

Class Lives is an anthology of narratives dramatizing the lived experience of class in America. It includes forty original essays from authors who represent a range of classes, genders, races, ethnicities, ages, and occupations across the United States. Born into poverty, working class, the middle class, and the owning class―and every place in between―the contributors describe their class journeys in narrative form, recounting one or two key stories that illustrate their growing awareness of class and their place, changing or stable, within the class system. The stories in Class Lives are both gripping and moving. One contributor grows up in hunger and as an adult becomes an advocate for the poor and homeless. Another acknowledges the truth that her working-class father’s achievements afforded her and the rest of the family access to people with power. A gifted child from a working-class home soon understands that intelligence is a commodity but finds his background incompatible with his aspirations and so attempts to divide his life into separate worlds. Together, these essays form a powerful narrative about the experience of class and the importance of learning about classism, class cultures, and the intersections of class, race, and gender. Class Lives will be a helpful resource for students, teachers, sociologists, diversity trainers, activists, and a general audience. It will leave readers with an appreciation of the poignancy and power of class and the journeys that Americans grapple with on a daily basis.

Genres: Nonfiction, Economics

240 pages, Paperback

First published November 6, 2014

About the author

Chuck is the director of the Program on Inequality at the Institute for Policy Studies, where he co-edits Inequality.org. He oversees a number of programs focused on wealth inequality, the racial wealth divide, and philanthropy reform.

Reviews

[Kel Munger · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are not all middle class

Class Lives Stories From Across Our Economic Divide (A Class Action Book), edited by Chuck Collins, Jennifer Ladd, Maynard Seider, and Felice Yeskel (ILR Press/Cornell University Press, $19.95).

We’d like to believe that we’re all middle class, but the reality is, we’re not. In fact, unless you own more property than the heavily-mortgaged house you’re living in and would be able to lose your job without fear of immediately falling into poverty, thanks to savings and investments, you’re probably not middle class. More likely, you’re working class: dependent upon wages for the vast majority of your income, with equity in your home but no income property.

But the illusion of the universal middle class is extremely persistent in the United States, and in Class Lives: Stories from Across Our Economic Divide, the editors use the personal narratives of people of varying backgrounds to illuminate how different life can be for those on the “down” side of America’s class divide. As we continue our national discussion about economic inequality, this book offers a new way to approach understanding what that inequality means: simply listen to the lives of people on the scarcity side of the divide. While we might argue about where the line between middle class and, well, everything else is (Is it home ownership? Reliance on wages? Access to consumer goods?), these stories offer more personal perspectives, as well as insight into the psychological and social consequences of even mild forms of poverty.

Reviewed on Lit/Rant: www.litrant.tumblr.com

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I could only give this book three stars mainly because of the way it made me feel. The stories of different people from different socio-economic classes was interesting, but frustrating at the same time. I wish the book could have ended with more of a solution to the problem, but then again, the solution lies within each of us...which was the point.

[Zach Tingley · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent compilation of essays depicting a spectrum of feelings of class struggle. From deeply impoverished hardship to tasteful guilt, these essays serve as qualitative evidence exposing ever-present class disparities in the U.S.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book definitely helped me identify my own class more clearly, and the various class divides in my life!

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was disappointed in this book. A few essays were interesting, but most did not go very deep. Being poor is hard, wealthier people don't have student loans. I wanted more subtle stuff that I didn't know, like differences in attitudes, values, manners. I think an ethnography would've done this much better than an edited collection. The separate essays meant there was very little synthesis, and the need to find authors who were willing and able to write about class meant all the writers who about poverty had gone to college and moved up, and all the wealthy writers felt terribly guilty about having money. It made the book feel not really honest in a way, like everything was a little rosier and kinder than it really is.

[Sue Jackson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Class Lives is a book that compiles stories of people from varied economic backgrounds. The author breaks them down into five categories; poor and low income, working class, middle class, owning class, and mixed class. Each category has individual essays written by people who were raised in their category. Although some were interesting and attempted to show how their upbringing impacted their entire life, it just was not insightful. The book was not insightful enough to tie them together with studies or facts. The book is a good start and may help with discussions about economic status and how you think. For me, I kept thinking and..... it just wasn't researched enough.

[Carmen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book about experiences of lots of people from different classes in America--poor, working class, middle class, or owning class, and the shame that comes with all of them. I learned! But I have food for thought. Many of the authors seemed to say that going to a famous classy college which costs thousands is a good thing. I would say, going to college with an idea of how to support yourself is the best goal. The more expensive colleges would leave a crippling amount of student loan debt, in most cases, and really might not result in any better job that getting a degree at a community college.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous thought-provoking book about how class (and culture) affect lives. Divided into sections, each chapter is an essay and personal story in relation to class upbringing. Using it for college course - I hope.

[Brandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting. Personal perspectives of people from different class backgrounds. Is "class" a taboo subject in America?

[James Wilcox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good look at the differences of class in America today. Highlights both the strengths and challenges of the poor, the working class, the upper class, and the owning class.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Your expectations when you read a book often directly affect how you rate it. I think this is definitely true with this book. I am very interested in Chuck Collins efforts regarding economic inequality and had hoped to read his most recent book but this is the only one my library carries. As a result, I was not really expecting this book. The book met its stated objective which was to have the reader, me, examine how class and finances affected their lives. I certainly did that, but I was left with a feeling of, "So what?", which greatly disappointed me. I could not help but compare this book to Ruby K. Payne's books on poverty and class. I found her writing much more helpful in understanding my actions and interactions with others. Her books gave me practical ideas, these stories did not. I think this book was diminished greatly by the authors' inability to include stories at the very bottom or very top of the economic ladder. Having watched the Trumps for the last few months, I wonder what their perspective would be. Do they understand how disconnected their lives are from most Americans? My interest in this subject remains and I will continue to search out information related to Chuck Collins' efforts.

[Roxi]

UMW Reading Program - "Social Action" Catagory