Discover new books on Goodreads
Meet your next favorite book
In an era of short-term flexibility, constant flux, and hollow institutions, the transition to adulthood has been inverted; coming of age does not entail entry into social groups and institutions but rather the explicit rejection of them.
“Men guard the few remaining public sector jobs with hyper-vigilance, using weapons of sexism and homophobia to police the boundaries of their professions. White people draw moral boundaries against blacks for laziness and moral disorder. Black informants draw even stronger boundaries against other blacks who cannot navigate the perils of a racist society on their own; echoing Simon, “If you wear baggy jeans and talk like an asshole, you are not gonna get ahead. It’s not racism, it’s you. I hate black people who say it is racism.” Ultimately, young working-class men and women believe that if they have to battle through life alone, then everyone else should, too.”
― Coming Up Short: Working-Class Adulthood in an Age of Uncertainty
― Coming Up Short: Working-Class Adulthood in an Age of Uncertainty
“Strange,” said Natalie. “What?” “Two gunshot wounds, pneumonia, a concussion, three broken ribs, and enough cuts and bruises to keep a football team happy for a full season.” “Jews are hard to kill.”
― Carrion Comfort
― Carrion Comfort
“Yet, Wally’s lone hope represents a tiny force of resistance against the rising tide of risk. At the heart of his vision of the future lies a firm belief in equal opportunity, social solidarity, and risk-pooling. He also offers the possibility of a concept of self-worth and personhood that is founded on collective well-being rather than individual suffering. Across the United States and around the world, glimmers of opposition to privatization and deregulation can be found in newspapers, political debates, and policy initiatives.”
― Coming Up Short: Working-Class Adulthood in an Age of Uncertainty
― Coming Up Short: Working-Class Adulthood in an Age of Uncertainty
“Great,” said Natalie, “in evolutionary terms they’re supermen. In psychological development, they’re retarded. In moral terms, they’re subhuman.”
― Carrion Comfort
― Carrion Comfort
“they do not see the ways in which the majority of the institutions that frame their coming of age journeys are steeped in therapeutic ideology. Their schools, for example, may appear to them as sites of betrayal that act against their interests; but they learn the therapeutic language through school psychologists and social workers that teach them to take responsibility for managing their emotions. Similarly, while the state may confront them as heartless and cold, whether stealing their hard-earned money or failing to protect their families, its subsidized alcohol and drug recovery programs or support groups reinforce the language of individual empowerment through accepting sole responsibility for one’s self (Nolan 1998). Through everyday interactions and practices, these institutions foster a culture of neoliberalism outside the economic sphere (see Illouz 2007) which I argue is central to reproducing social inequality and exploitation at the most intimate level of the self.”
― Coming Up Short: Working-Class Adulthood in an Age of Uncertainty
― Coming Up Short: Working-Class Adulthood in an Age of Uncertainty
Stanley’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Stanley’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
546 books
|
31 friends
78 books
|
1 friend
950 books
|
13 friends
293 books
|
65 friends
0 books
|
1 friend
944 books
|
276 friends
0 books
|
32 friends
11 books
|
33 friends
More friends…
Favorite Genres
Polls voted on by Stanley
Lists liked by Stanley