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353rd out of 879 books
—
1,241 voters
Without a Net: The Female Experience of Growing Up Working Class
While many recent books have thoughtfully examined the plight of the working poor in America, none of the authors of these books is able to claim a working-class background, and there are associated methodological and ethical concerns raised when most of the explicatory writing on how poverty affects women and girls is done by educated, upper-class journalists. It was thes...more
Paperback, 224 pages
Published
February 6th 2004
by Seal Press
(first published January 16th 2004)
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I enjoyed this collection of short essays about working class women from a wide variety of backgrounds as they struggle through poverty, inadequate health care, humiliation, inferior housing, poor working conditions, unemployment, dead-end jobs. Their stories were raw, personal, sometimes depressing, yet always engaging. These women may be victims, but they are also strong and resourceful survivors.
i'd have given this book five stars, but any collection of personal essays will have some clumsy, less-than-stellar stuff. but, mostly, these mini-memoirs made me shaky with sadness (the good, thinking kind of sadness) and appreciation.
This collection of autobiographical accounts written by working class women about their experiences is one that the privileged will gingerly add to their "study" of gender and class inequalities - and perhaps wisely so. This book offers a rare and honest glimpse into the lives of working class women- in their own words.
The rest of us -
the rest of us will find a comforting sense of familiarity in the threads of desperation, desire, resourcefulness and tenacity in the things we can and will do t...more
The rest of us -
the rest of us will find a comforting sense of familiarity in the threads of desperation, desire, resourcefulness and tenacity in the things we can and will do t...more
Stories too familiar to be shocking, I could have written some and easily grown up next to the others. Dramatic without condescension, these vignettes will linger for a while inside my head.
"There exist the wealthy and the working class. At Vassar I learned the two are not mutually exclusive. No matter how rich I might become, I will always be the daughter of a janitor. I will always look the woman who empties my garbage in the face. I will always say thank you to the man who serves my lunch. I...more
"There exist the wealthy and the working class. At Vassar I learned the two are not mutually exclusive. No matter how rich I might become, I will always be the daughter of a janitor. I will always look the woman who empties my garbage in the face. I will always say thank you to the man who serves my lunch. I...more
So this anthology is very worth reading and had a lot of great contributors (including a former professor of mine). However, I found it very draining to read because a lot of the entries were very depressing (expected, but still hard, especially the ones involving incest) and were so short they didn't really have time to wrap/sum things up very well. A lot of similar themes emerged over the course of the book: violence, food, healthcare, and use of time seemed to be the major ones, not to say th...more
Engaging. Some of the pieces are more interesting than others. Four that stood out in my mind: 1) Dorothy Allison's piece about stealing books from college professors and then replacing them (usually a few days later) with passages she liked underlined; 2) a piece about dressing in traditionally feminine manner (makeup, short skirts, et cetera) as being a form of class statement and working class female resistance to middle and upper class feminist pressure to conform; 3) an essay about a (worki...more
I loved the variety of experiences represented in this book but hardly dare expand upon them because I most usually have a net. This is a must read. I don't know--this may be the true representation of the USA, not the super rich who are running for President or what is left of the middle class. The writers each are living or have lived without a net. We all think we know these people and some of us surely have had some of these experiences but rarely do we have this inside glimpse of them or ou...more
Nov 29, 2008
Ciara
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
smug liberal middle class jerks, a good editor
i had big hopes for this book, but i thought it was kind of a letdown. i mean, the female experience of growing up working class? dude, that's me! i was so hoping to see my experiences reflected through brilliant prose. & although in some ways, i saw my own experience reflected in some of these essays, i thought the construction of the book was a little weak. i'm sure you will be shocked to hear, in light of my high esteem for michelle tea (*cough*), that i thought the editing was problemati...more
It's possible that I would have given this book 5 stars had all of the stories in it been stellar, but that's a high demand of any short story collection. Most stories were very memorable regardless.
I really enjoyed this book, it was hard to tear myself away from it. I think most of the appeal came from how personal and genuine the stories felt. It was also interesting to look at the variety of poverty-related experiences -- how different people end up poor and how different people deal with it....more
I really enjoyed this book, it was hard to tear myself away from it. I think most of the appeal came from how personal and genuine the stories felt. It was also interesting to look at the variety of poverty-related experiences -- how different people end up poor and how different people deal with it....more
Overall I found this a mixed bag. I thought some of the essays were beautifully told and really well done, and others just seemed to be going for shock value, and were filled with so much anger it was hard to see anything else. Some of the essays almost seem to have a bragging tone, of "I've had it worse than you." But as one of the writers said, when you grow up in a poor neighborhood, there is always someone poorer than you. I grew up playing in alleyways and abandoned lots with neighborhood k...more
There ought to be volumes writen by women who grew up poor but for now this book provides validation and humor along with the pain of revisting old struggles and humiliations. The stories strike a chord (even if you were WASP Trash). I have bought more copies of this book for friends than any other.
This is an awesome collection of stories from the perspective of people living in poverty in the US, or who have grown up poor or working class and carry that experience with them through life. There was a really nice range of voice represented (with some emphasis on the young, queer, and Calfornian.)
Things that to stuck out to me included the pervasive theme of hunger, the differences in middle vs. working values as they do and do not directly relate to monetary resources, the sense of class-id...more
Things that to stuck out to me included the pervasive theme of hunger, the differences in middle vs. working values as they do and do not directly relate to monetary resources, the sense of class-id...more
This book is a collection of essays that the author admits was picked for her own enjoyment. So, while the common background is growing up working class, there isn't necessarily that much thematic cohesion in the book. While not boring, I felt like with the exception of a few really good ones, I didn't learn all that much.
This is an amazing anthology about what it's like to grow up between the worlds of working class and college educated, and it deftly explores the supposedly non-existent class system in America.
Without a Net: The Female Experience of Growing Up Working Class is a collection of essays written about working class (mostly working poor) women BY working class women. These stories tell about everyday struggles with poverty, abuse, addiction, health care, housing, humiliation, feelings of inferiority, and the struggle to survive. The essays avoid the usual trappings of voyeurism and romanticism of the working poor and are often gritty and visceral. Stories such as these are very rare as most...more
some stories stronger than others, but overall an excellent, highly recommended book. You'll discover new others to explore on your own after getting a taste for the writing styles you are attracted to.
This was a great book. It often incorporated growing up queer and growing up poor/working class. Michelle Tea didn't disappoint!
Loved it better than Nickel and Dimed, a less condescending account of poverty in America.
an interesting collection of essays about class, representing a diverse array of voices.
This book was amazing. Although, there were a couple of the stories that were not well written but that's too be expected because it was a collection of stories of women who grew up poor/working class. I personally related to several stories in this book. Finally, a book that gives women who grew up poor/working class a voice to tell their own stories. I loved it!! I especially enjoyed it because it not only tells the day to day hardship that some women endure but it also shows how we survive, a...more
Heart breaking stories that would make any woman appreciate what they've got.
This anthology includes short essays by Dorothy Allison, Eileen Myles, and others. From the first page, I was drawn in, shown slices of lives that looked familiar, seemed strange, could have been nightmares.
There is something wonderful about seeing yourself reflected, even in small pieces, in the art of others. These authors make the personal political and make the political an art form.
I recommend it to anyone who wants to pry open the door of working class childhood and look inside, no matte...more
There is something wonderful about seeing yourself reflected, even in small pieces, in the art of others. These authors make the personal political and make the political an art form.
I recommend it to anyone who wants to pry open the door of working class childhood and look inside, no matte...more
A much needed collection in a world where the voices of the working poor speaking about and for themselves is highly underrepresented.
This book is really about class structure in the US. As much as we like to think that we all have the same opportunities, it really touches on the working class situation. Also, it really makes you open your eyes and realize a) how lucky you might've been, and b) that you can take the girl out of the neighborhood, but your roots are still there. No matter how hard you try to remove them... I thought the stories about working class girls making it to middle class (and upper class) college environ...more
My people.
There were a few essays I really liked, but the book just became depressing and too similar after a while. I like the concept, I like the belief behind the pieces, I like Michelle Tea, but the book itself left me wanting more. I wish I knew of other books that handled this subject better to suggest people read instead. And sadly I identified with many people in this book. Or not so sadly. Reading these essays made me want to write my own.
Okay, this might be my favorite contemporary political/feminist anthology. It was incredible to find a book that reflected my experiences so vividly. Full of sharp commentary and witty prose, this book is definitely not a sob story about how hard it is to be poor. It does reveal the strength and resilience of working-class kids and women, and offers smart stories from some of the best writers in the genre. Also: I know some of the authors!!
It took me about three weeks to finally finish it (got a little sidetracked...), but it was really engrossing and amazing. The first essay, Waiting, really haunted me, as did My Season of Paper Dresses. Dirty Girl, Dinner Talk, Ghetto Fabulous. My Mother was a Whore. Really, most all of them stick out in my mind in one way or another. Truly wrenching, sticky stuff. Full speed ahead recommendation.
This is one of the best anthologies I have read. Long over due! Having grown up working poor (lets face it, I still am), a survivor and having recently lost my father and a year later almost lost my mother due to substandard care of 'charity' hospitals..this book evoked a lot of emotions in me. It was nice to feel connected and witness others experiences. I want Without a Net II!
I LOVED this book.
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Michelle Tea is the author of 4 1⁄2 memoirs, 1 1⁄2 novels, and a collection of poetry. Her memoir Valencia is an underground classic and is currently being made into a feature film by 21 different filmmakers. She is the founder and executive director of RADAR Productions, a literary non-profit which hosts the monthly RADAR Reading Series (voted Best Literary Series by SF Bay Guardian readers), the...more
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Oct 30, 2010 12:59pm
Nov 06, 2010 08:57am