Thinking Class: Sketches from a Cultural Worker

by Joanna Kadi

Examining the elite's supposed hegemony over intellectual work, Thinking Class rejects the ideaa that working class people are not thinkers, and affirms the culture that springs up, beautiful and honest, from this society's true base.

Genres: Nonfiction, Queer, Class, Feminism, Biography Memoir, Politics, LGBT

169 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[Ariel]

I read this book in a day! Thinking Class: Sketches from a Cultural Worker was great! Joanna Kadi theorizes about social class while including a race, sexual orientation, ability, age (of children, she doesn't really talk old folks), and gender analysis. Plus, she writes accessibly! I love theory that isn't in super-mega-code (which Kadi critiques as classist). I suspect her chapter on sexual abuse of childred will especially stick with me. She argues that child abuse is ubiquitous and not over there, done by people outside of our own communities. Child abuse teaches children about power dynamics, that adults have power over children, middle- and upper-class folks over working class and poor folks, able-bodied over people with disabilities, white folks over people of color, which explains moreso than feminist theories of child abuse why women commit acts of sexual violence.

I started reading this book because I'm confused about what class i am, and I'm still confused, but I'll get over it. Kadi did help me figure out why I feel like I'm such an imposter in the elitest university I haven't been bred to attend.

This book might be a tough sell if you're not already left leaning and somewhat anti-capitalism.

[Lynn Sereda]

Out of all the books on Class I've read, this is my favorite, and goes into the category of "cannot put down"...Joanna Kadi explores things not present in theoretical examinations of class...for instance the complexity of class culture as it manifests in Country Music for instance....instead of just dissing on C&W as unenlightened and reactionary music, she goes deeper into its revolutionary heart and potential. The threads in the book on family, and internalized class oppression are amazing, as well as her experience as a Queer, Middle-Eastern, and working class woman. For a small book, there is so much in it.

[Emma Rae]

I feel like this will be a book I go back to again and again. The chapter “Stupidity, Deconstructed” was moving. I grew up lower middle class and have a working class lineage, and this gave me the ability to validate my own experiences and feelings within academia.

[Anna White]

Excellent. Clear, concise, unwaveringly illuminating. I have wanted to see a good coverage of issues of class, education, and intersecting identities, and Kadi absolutely delivers this with the honesty of someone who's lived with the intersections and their challenges and benefits. The work is alive with her stories of her upbringing, and she pursues their implications skillfully and with none of the tiresome jargon that most theorists seem to rely on. I finished with the feeling that I'd been granted the privilege of listening to a candid recollection and explanation of poverty and oppression, and I believe I came away with at least a slightly better understanding of them. I only wish that she might have gone on to write more, but I can't seem to find much about her online anywhere.

[Quinn]

Through telling her personal stories and experiences, Joanna Kadi makes the complex intersections of race, class, and sexuality extremely easy to understand. An indisputable must read for those exploring the complexities of class in the U.S.

[Jen]

so far... i've read about half of it, and i like it, but haven't found it to be amazing yet. :)

[Cori]

The best book written about issues of class I've read. It is an excellent blend of theory and story, very accessible.

[Mariah]

I picked this up used and it is a signed copy! Amazing luck, huh?

Acquired 3-16-09 from Roseville Half-Price Books

[Wryly]

One of the best books I read in 2012. Each essay felt like conversation about intersecting oppression with an old friend.

[Rebecca]

One of the most amazing books I have ever read and it breaks my heart that I had not heard of it before

[Pam]

She's incredibly effortless.

[Billie Rain]

sharp pro-working-class commentary on a wide range of topics, written accessibly and with humor.

[Galen Smith]

I recommend this book all the time.

[Mills College Library]

Biog K115k 1996