The Middle Class Handbook: An Illustrated Field Guide to the Changing Behaviour and Taste's of Britain's New Middle Class Tribe. Richard Benson,

by Richard Benson

What does it mean to be middle class in Britain in 2010? Do you wear a blue, white or pink shirt to the office? How wide is your TV screen? Does it mean that you call the lavatory "the euphemism", and actually quite like the sound of "restroom"? Does it make a difference if you call dinner "supper" or supper "tea" or lunch "dinner"? Can you be middle-class and not have a secret sexual fantasy about either a BBC newsreader, Cheryl Cole or Richard Hammond? Is it still acceptable to have straightened hair? Or highlights? What about fake tan? Is Victoria Beckham middle-class? Is Jordan? She is keen on horse riding, after all. You can think of this book, based on a website of the same name, as a handy reference guide to the myriad ways in which we can be middle-class in Britain today. And let's face it, most of us could use a guide some of the time - because, even now, in our hyper-driven, inter-connected and over-heated consumer-universe, it can be hard to keep on top of all this. The Middle Class Handbook is an indispensable and humorous must read that analyses more than 100 tribes and sub-tribes of Britain's battered and bruised society. You can follow us @MiddleClassHB

148 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2010

Reviews

[D · Rating 3 out of 5]

I work for what you can call the in-house advertising for a local TV channel. Once upon a time, we were told that our target market is 'Aling Tasya', but this has now shifted to Ms Pinkie and Eunice. (Not sure about their names tbh. The clients still want Aling Tasya. My target market IS usually Aling Tasya and Ms Pinkie.) Anyway, this is that sort of book. Which would be more useful to me really if it hadn't been about the middle class people in the UK.

[Kyle Cameron Studstill]

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