"White Working Class: Overcoming Class Cluelessness in America" by Joan C. Williams grew out of a well-received article Williams wrote for the Harvard Business Review after election night 2016, when Donald Trump rode a wave of populist resentment to win the presidency of the United States.
Williams explains why the white working class -- what used to be known as America's middle class -- is so misunderstood by what she calls "the PME" (professional management elites), and why it's so important to bridge this gap. She also offers advice to politicians and others looking to connect with this important and frequently overlooked segment of the population. "When you leave the two-thirds of Americans without college degrees out of your vision of the good life, they notice," she writes in Chapter 1.
(I guess it's my PME perspective talking here, but I had no idea that number was so high -- two-thirds?? Still? -- in 2016??)
At a slim 131 pages of text, this book obviously just skims the surface of a complex subject, but it's nevertheless a good primer/introduction, well written and researched. I like that not only does Williams provide a reading list after the notes, she groups the books into categories: "If you want to know more about the working class and you want to read just one book... If you want to read five more, add...." etc.
3.5 stars on Goodreads, rounded up to 4.
(Dh, observing the heavy subjects of my recent reading choices, has told me to lighten up and read a novel next, lol. We'll see... so many great books, never enough time for them all...!!)
This was Book #25 read to date in 2020 (Book #1 finished in August). I'm currently at 83% of my 2020 Goodreads Reading Challenge goal of 30 books, and am (for the moment, anyway...!) 8 books ahead of schedule to meet my goal. :) You can find reviews of all my books read to date in 2020 tagged as "2020 books."
Wow, that sounds like an interesting book. And my initial reaction to the 2/3s number was the same as yours. But I know it's probably a similar number here, or even lower.
ReplyDeleteAnd I confess, I often think along the same lines as DH. I find I need to intersperse serious novels with light novels, and the occasional non-fiction. I don't think I could handle all the heavy reading you do, on top of all the current affairs I devour daily.