Class Action's 2005 Picks

December 2005

Born to Buy

by Juliet Schor

(New York: Scribner, 2004)

Now in Paperback

Before the children in your life become like adults “who have everything,” you might want to read Born to Buy, a readable and mind-blowing book by Juliet Schor.

Download a PDF review of Born to Buy, including resources for fighting commercialization.

November 2005

Prep

By Curtis Sittenfeld

(Random House, 2005)

As a work of fiction, Prep gives a powerful and painful glimpse into the “class straddler” experience in a first person coming-of-age story.  Straddlers are people who face the dilemma of being raised poor or working class –and cross the class divide in their education experience, work and relationships.

Read a summary of Prep and a Reflection on Prep and the Straddler Experience by Class Action's Corinna Yazbek.

October 2005

Becoming an Ally:

Breaking the Cycle of Oppression in People

By Anne Bishop

(Zed Books, 2001, Second Edition)

Anne Bishop is an anti-racism trainer and popular educator from Nova Scotia who felt inspired to write this book out of concern for “how many people, deeply engaged in the liberation of their own group, seemed not to be able to see their role in oppressing others, and how that comes full circle and perpetuates their own oppression.”

She has succeeded in creating a guidebook for would-be allies, underscoring the complimentary processes of both becoming aware of one’s own oppression and one’s possible roles in being an oppressor of others.

Download a PDF Summary of Becoming an Ally: Breaking the Cycle of Oppression in People

September 2005

Navigating the Dark Side of Wealth:

A Life Guide for Inheritors

By Thayer Cheatham Willis

(Portland, OR: New Concord Press, 2003)

The author Thayer Willis is heiress to a Northwest timber fortune who now works as a counselor to individuals and families grappling with issues of wealth.

This is a wise book, a good blend of practical, psychological, and spiritual advice. It is written for people grappling with the problem of having more than they need. But it would also be useful for anyone interested in class and the spiritual dimensions of dealing with money, materialism, deprivation, and privilege. The author comes from a Christian tradition and draws from this, but is thoughtful in invoking the lessons of broader spiritual traditions and practices.

Download a PDF Summary of Navigating the Dark Side of Wealth: A Life Guide for Inheritors...

August 2005

New Working-Class Studies

Edited by John Russo and Sherry Lee Linkon

(Cornell University Press, 2005)

This book is a wonderful collection that embodies the breadth and multiple flavors of the new working class studies.

What’s new is that working class studies is defining itself beyond labor studies, which focused more on the study of unionized workers with its overrepresentation of white men. This book reflects a much broader look at working class culture and the intersection of race and gender with class. It also demonstrates that working class studies is truly a multidisciplinary approach to social science and humanities.

Download a PDF summary of New Working-Class Studies ...

July 2005

Thomas Shapiro's

The Hidden Cost of Being African American: How Wealth Perpetuates Inequality (Oxford 2004)

This is a very important book about the interaction of race and class.   In 1996, Tom Shapiro teamed up with Melvin Oliver to write Black Wealth, White Wealth, a ground-breaking book about the causes of the racial wealth gap.  In this new book, Shapiro provides more insights into the ways that hereditary class and racial advantages fuel inequality of wealth. 

Download a PDF summary of Hidden Cost...

June 2005

Betsy Leondar-Wright's
Class Matters: Cross-Class Alliance Building for Middle Class Activists. Gabriola Island, British Columbia: New Society Publishers, 2005.

Betsy Leondar-Wright is a board member of Class Action and a long-time colleague of many Class Action staff.  She is the director of Communications at United for a Fair Economy.  So we can’t offer an unbiased review or summary of main points.  We think her work is very important and we encourage you to buy the book, read it, and share it with others.  Better yet, invite Betsy to come speak to your group, conference or gathering. 

Class Matters is an important book.  It is the meeting point of theory and practice around issues of class oppression and classism.

Betsy Leondar-Wright draws on her decades of activist experience to identify the lessons for coalition efforts laboring to bridge the class divide.  She interviews a wide variety of organizers about their experiences and insights from working in multi-class coalitions.

It is a courageous book.  The author exposes her thinking, acknowledges that it is a work in progress, and invites engagement.  She dares to probe where others turn away.  She pushes to understand the complicated intersections of class with race, gender, sexual orientation, and other forms of oppression.

The book is attractive and full of shorter bite-size interviews, reflections, quotes and practical information.

A Conversation with Betsy Leondar-Wright

Download excerpts from Class Matters...

Order Class Matters directly from the publisher...

April-May 2005

NOW OUT IN PAPERBACK:

Alfred Lubrano's
Limbo: Blue-Collar Roots, White-Collar Dreams. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons, 2004. One of the most important books about the "Straddler" experience.

Download a summary of Limbo ...

Download our Annotated Class Action Bibliography on Class issues

This resource list has been prepared by Class Action with input from many friends and allies.   We welcome your additions and suggestions; Submit a Resource if you like.

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