Diversity in All Forms! discussion
Monthly Book Suggestions
>
Classism (June 2017)
date
newest »
newest »
message 1:
by
Mariah Roze
(last edited Apr 13, 2017 07:30AM)
(new)
Apr 13, 2017 07:29AM
Mod
reply
|
flag
Mod
Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew DesmondIn this brilliant, heartbreaking book, Matthew Desmond takes us into the poorest neighborhoods of Milwaukee to tell the story of eight families on the edge. Arleen is a single mother trying to raise her two sons on the $20 a month she has left after paying for their rundown apartment. Scott is a gentle nurse consumed by a heroin addiction. Lamar, a man with no legs and a neighborhood full of boys to look after, tries to work his way out of debt. Vanetta participates in a botched stickup after her hours are cut. All are spending almost everything they have on rent, and all have fallen behind.
The fates of these families are in the hands of two landlords: Sherrena Tarver, a former schoolteacher turned inner-city entrepreneur, and Tobin Charney, who runs one of the worst trailer parks in Milwaukee. They loathe some of their tenants and are fond of others, but as Sherrena puts it, “Love don’t pay the bills.” She moves to evict Arleen and her boys a few days before Christmas.
Even in the most desolate areas of American cities, evictions used to be rare. But today, most poor renting families are spending more than half of their income on housing, and eviction has become ordinary, especially for single mothers. In vivid, intimate prose, Desmond provides a ground-level view of one of the most urgent issues facing America today. As we see families forced into shelters, squalid apartments, or more dangerous neighborhoods, we bear witness to the human cost of America’s vast inequality—and to people’s determination and intelligence in the face of hardship.
Based on years of embedded fieldwork and painstakingly gathered data, this masterful book transforms our understanding of extreme poverty and economic exploitation while providing fresh ideas for solving a devastating, uniquely American problem. Its unforgettable scenes of hope and loss remind us of the centrality of home, without which nothing else is possible.
message 3:
by
David - proud Gleeman in Branwen's adventuring party
(last edited Apr 13, 2017 07:40AM)
(new)
I already read this one recently, but it seems so negligent not including this masterpiece in a discussion about classism! :D 
To Kill a Mockingbird
Here are a few others I found that sound interesting:
The House of the Scorpion
Matteo Alacran was not born; he was harvested with the DNA from El Patron, lord of a country called Opium. Can a boy who was bred to guarantee another’s survival find his own purpose in life? And can he ever be free?
A People's History of the United States
Known for its lively, clear prose as well as its scholarly research, A People's History of the United States is the only volume to tell America's story from the point of view of - and in the words of - America's women, factory workers, African Americans, Native Americans, working poor, and immigrant laborers.
Where We Stand: Class Matters
Drawing on both her roots in Kentucky and her adventures with Manhattan Coop boards, Where We Stand is a successful black woman's reflection--personal, straight forward, and rigorously honest--on how our dilemmas of class and race are intertwined, and how we can find ways to think beyond them.
Hope this helps!
Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America by Barbara EhrenreichMillions of Americans work for poverty-level wages, and one day Barbara Ehrenreich decided to join them. She was inspired in part by the rhetoric surrounding welfare reform, which promised that any job equals a better life. But how can anyone survive, let alone prosper, on $6 to $7 an hour? To find out, Ehrenreich moved from Florida to Maine to Minnesota, taking the cheapest lodgings available and accepting work as a waitress, hotel maid, house cleaner, nursing-home aide, and Wal-Mart salesperson. She soon discovered that even the "lowliest" occupations require exhausting mental and physical efforts. And one job is not enough; you need at least two if you intend to live indoors.
Nickel and Dimed reveals low-wage America in all its tenacity, anxiety, and surprising generosity -- a land of Big Boxes, fast food, and a thousand desperate strategies for survival. Instantly acclaimed for its insight, humor, and passion, this book is changing the way America perceives its working poor.
I'd also voted for Nickel and Dimed. How about this classic--How the Other Half Lives by Theodore Riis
Mariah wrote: "Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond"I read and liked Evicted, ditto for Nickel and Dimed, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Hillbilly Elegy. Sounding like a good month!
My choice would be Keep the Aspidistra Flying by George Orwell, which is about a man's revolt against money.
message 9:
by
V. A Court of Wings and Ruin is NEW ADULT/EROTICA but Goodreads editors won't tell you to include it in the choice awards
(new)
Mod
American Project: The Rise and Fall of a Modern Ghetto
Thought I added this yesterday. Was it taken down because it's not right for the topic? Apologies if that's the case.
Mod
American Project: The Rise and Fall of a Modern Ghetto
Mod
American Project: The Rise and Fall of a Modern Ghetto
Thought I added this yesterday. Was it taken down becau..."
I never took it down, so I'm not sure what happened. I think you messaged it to me instead of posting it. No problem :)
Diversity in All Forms!
Books mentioned in this topic
American Project: The Rise and Fall of a Modern Ghetto (other topics)American Project: The Rise and Fall of a Modern Ghetto (other topics)
American Project: The Rise and Fall of a Modern Ghetto (other topics)
The Bluest Eye (other topics)
Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City (other topics)
More...
