'Class' offers a comprehensive exploration of class using engaging illustrations and accessible language. It's a valuable resource for readers wanting to learn more about sociology and class dynamics.

Full review was delayed due to reviewer illness. I'll need to re-read the book to provide a full review, but star rating is accurate.

I’m sure this book has something to say, and the message would be better carried through its physical edition, as I found the ebook difficult to decipher.

It’s an interesting topic, and good to be cover in a different way.

This is a confusing topic for me and I must admit to being ignorant of many of the people and examples discussed in the book. However, that only means it is all the more useful, as this guide serves as an introduction to many of the key figures and important concepts surrounding the topic of Class.

I did find the two different art styles a little difficult to get into, but I enjoyed that it was illustrated and this helped with some of the harder to understand pieces. Overall I think it's really accessible, and beginners like myself can learn a lot from this book. It's the sort of work you'd probably need to dip in and out of, rather than read cover to cover - at least, I found that for myself, as some topics need some time for thought and mulling over!

I really like that this line of books is becoming more popular (I've enjoyed the multiple Queer/LGBTQ+ versions by different authors in a similar style) as I think it reaches a much wider audience and injects a bit of fun into what could be a dry or difficult subject. I'd certainly recommend to friends who are interested in this kind of thing, but I think I personally need to read it a bit more to gain those real insights

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for this ARC - all opinions here are my own, honest, and freely given.

I received an e-ARC (advanced readers copy)of this book from NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

This is intended as an illustrated introduction to the sociological arguments surrounding class. I have never studied sociology myself, though I have encountered class a as a theme in my historical study. However, even with that background, I found this rather difficult to digest.

Possibly, it would be better used as a reference book to dip in and out of than trying to read cover-to-cover, as while it is written approachably with useful examples and case studies, it did feel more like an illustrated shopping list of all the academic themes and concepts one should know when approaching the topic. From Marx to bell hooks and everyone in between, this felt like a whistle stop tour of a massive lecture series.

There were two main illustration styles, one more realistic to illustrate the theorists, philosophers, and sociologists that wrote the theories, and one more cartoonistic style to illustrate scenarios and examples. I actually found the former a bit jarring - when they weren’t labelled, I wasn’t able to tell who was supposed to be who, and some of them had features that were bizarrely out of proportion. For a style that was trying to be realistic, it felt incongruous. The cartoons, however, were very useful in distilling down the text to make it more obvious.

Super helpful and accessible introduction to the concept and theories around class, written by sociologists. Essential reading at this time in UK politics, especially if you haven't come across this way of thinking before.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

‘What do we mean by social class in the 21st century?’

My thanks to Icon Books for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Class: a Graphic Guide’ by Laura Harvey and Sarah Leaney, illustrated by Danny Noble.

University of Brighton sociologists Harvey and Leaney have created this unique, illustrated journey through the history, sociology and lived experience of class.

They address aspects of life affected by class that hadn’t occurred to me, such as clothing, choice of films, and other indicators which aren’t so obvious as how you make your living or your family history. The book also helped me understand how the meaning and usage of certain words has changed over time.

I found this a thought provoking book and felt that using cartoon images to complement the text helped to make these often complex ideas more accessible. I will admit that some of the material still went over my head.

Overall, a witty way to communicate sociological concepts about social class to readers. I certainly felt that I had improved my understanding of the subject from reading ‘Class: a Graphic Guide’.

A brilliant introduction to the subject either as an adult reader or for classroom based sociology learning. Accessible and interesting with excellent references to key thinkers and theorists in the subject.

An interesting take on the diverse topic of class. Not quite how I expected it to be but I actually enjoyed it. Love the comic book style diagrams and easy way of reading.

A fantastic beginner's guide that is incredibly informative yet very accessible for beginners looking to learn more about class in the UK. Having studied class myself I was aware of the concept and theories, but still learned new things from different theorists and political case studies included in the book. The illustrations are great and really bring the theories and events to life. My only criticism would be of the length of Chapter 2. The content here is dense rather than digestible - however this could be because I powered through the chapter in one sitting! Those who take their time with it may not have this problem. Despite this, I would recommend to anyone looking to learn more and to anyone who believes class doesn't affect them--class is all around us, shapes our everyday lives and decision-making. The sooner more people see that the quicker we can act to improve the lives of working-class people and increase social mobility.

I will definitely be purchasing my own copy when it's released, as it's a great text to refer back to.

It took a long while for me to complete this book as the digital copy I was given to review was terrible, the formatting was almost illegible. and did the author no favours. That said, I did enjoy the book , a whistle stop tour of the ideas behind class ,with illustrations to explain. One I would buy in the future.

This book is not a nuanced, hot take that will blow your mind if you are not new to social sciences, but it is a very digestible 101 on concept of class written for a modern audience. Probably not a bad idea as a gift for an argumentative teenager or a relative that commentates on hottest issues of the day whilst getting their basic terms right 😂

B O O K  R E V I E W
CLASS a graphic guide by Laura Harvey & Sarah Leaney, illustrated by Danny Noble.
 
Illustrated through an engaging series of one-page expositions CLASS is a whistlestop tour of theorists, scholars & activists from Marx & Engels to Angela Davies, hurtling across the political & literal landscape of Britain with fences & signposts & housing estates & quotes & whitewashed cultural industries & capitalist-ravaged community centres zipping by the intersections of class construct, inequality, rebellion (peasant uprisings), feminism, identity, disability, race, the underclass… while also touching on ideas of universal basic income, utopia, alternative societies…
 
We begin with a great quote offering a clear idea as to the book’s focus & ambition:
‘Ideas are powerful and have real-world consequences; some have informed how economies are structured, governments are run and social movements are organised.’
 
I loved being introduced to Judith Butler’s concept of a Liveable Life: experiencing life beyond merely surviving, & these numerous inclusions are a real strength of the book. I perhaps wanted more pages given over to people such as the homeless mothers of the Focus E15 group who ‘used loudspeakers at public events to confront those in power’ & who’re still campaigning for real change that is affecting people’s lives in a positive way, but CLASS is more of a spring-board into discovering writers / activists / theorists that the reader may not have encountered before, disseminating arguments in succinct & inventive ways.
 
CLASS is a great starter-kit & I applaud the authors’ determination to include examples of theorists & grassroots activisms while encouraging readers to seek out & join local unions, ask questions about the products we buy & who this supports, as well as who owns the surrounding lands.
All of this can only be a good thing.

I really enjoyed this graphic novel. It provides an in-depth but also really accessible overview to theories and terminology around class. As an academic and a teacher, I think this book is brilliant for any adult reader. It covers global and intersectional issues related to class.

It features a number of thinkers from different global communities around the world. There are a lot of people and approaches to class that were not represented in my education present in this book. I appreciated the different ways in which text and information were laid out. There are some slightly unfortunate differences in the size of people being represented which is supposed to communicate power but sometimes felt a little bit uncomfortable to me with the intersections that I hold. However, I would not hold that against it.. I have already bought a copy for my library. I have bought a copy for my office and I will definitely signpost it in my classes.

This is a great starting point to understanding key thinkers and ideas of class, and how our social structures developed. Don't go in thinking it's a comprehensive bible - it is a summary and can point you in the right direction for further research. There are parts of it that will be useful for explaining context for texts to students, as well as basic ideas to support further study. There are moments when it feels like a collection of vignettes/ slightly disjointed, rather than having a coherent thread that runs through it, although I suppose that when you are making a collection of different thinkers that is bound to happen.
I also really like the aesthetic/design of the book and the fact that the last chapter asks questions to make the reader reflect on their own position and how they would apply different views of class, which is a nebulous concept anyway.
I read another review here that pejoratively accuses this book of being woke ... the origin of the term is about being awake to social injustice and structural inequality. So yes, it is woke - I'd be worried about reading a book about class that wasn't.

Class: A Graphic Guide, as the name suggests, takes the reader through the introductory themes and ideas that relate to one's social class, how it affects people and how our modern discussions are shaped around this particular subject. The book is written in collaboration with two sociologists. Laura Harvey and Sarah Laney, both working for University of Brighton, their research focus while varied, relate to the essence of this introductory text. Harvey's research mainly focusing on exploring power and inequality through all aspects, while Laney's research focus on class living, its formation and place and identity relating to one's social class. I'm personally not familiar with the work of the illustrator Danny Noble, but from an initial google search it seems his main body of work is children's books.

The book takes its time to explain different topics in a single page, with illustrations to try and make the subject easier to digest. While also introducing the reader to core ideas from different sociologists who focus on them. Obviously, due to the length of the book, the authors couldn't go into much length and nuance of different author's views etc. So the book opts to summarise their research in little speech bubbles. This does let the reader give a few names for deeper research if they so desire it, but also does not overwhelm them with jargon.

The way the book is laid out, it feels like the book was intended for A-level students and first year university students wishing to start studying sociology. However, I think this is also very useful book to people trying to understand the topics that are debated today, either by politicians, TV personalities or in the online debate space, such as YouTube or TikTok. (Personally, I find TikTok to be a weird place for a debate platform, but that is what people mostly engage with at the moment, so that's where we are as a society) Perhaps, this is one of the strength of books like this. They give deeper meaning to what are effectively buzzwords in our modern climate.

One thing that I through was particularly interesting is the last chapter, where the authors pose questions to the reader, encouraging them to encourage with the material at hand, and also to encourage them of action themselves. This is especially important now, with the current Conservative government and Conservative race promising to undermine the unions at the expense of our worker's rights.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, the illustrations and the tone of the book gives it that whimsical feeling without reducing the book to juvenile levels. I want to compare it to the whimsy of Horrible Histories with the illustrations, but without the jokes. I often found myself taking names down, taking notes or even writing about my own experience in response to some of the ideas discussed. I'd recommend this book to most people, especially if you want to study sociology as well as people who want to take a more active role in what is being discussed on TV and the different lines of thought that got us here in the first place.

I'm sure, based on the other book I've read in this series, that Class is informative, but the netgalley ecopy of it is all but illegible to me. The formatting is awful - this is one I will pick up physically.

3.5 stars

*eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

i found it quite hard to understand the theories of class and sociologists' quotes featured in the book as it relied a lot on jargon and prior knowledge, and i can't say i really left being able to tell you anything about a particular sociologist's viewpoint. however, i liked how the authors grounded all their points in real life examples with great illustrations, which helps the reader see the relevance of class in their own lives. i also liked the recommendations for helping fight inequality - sometimes reading theory you can be left feeling "well this book did loads to help me see things differently but idk what i'm supposed to do now" but the recommendations help to combat this. it's also really intersectional which was great to read.

While one problem with this book may have been that it tended to the uber-woke, it's only in the last pages that it veers that way, thankfully. But by the end we are supposed to find fault with any decision, club, society, status or construct that makes us us – including checking our musical choices to make sure no Big Company is misappropriating what was someone else's beforehand (chances are, they are). No, the larger problems are that that is pretty dry, and beat me in its second chapter, discussing thoughts of previous sociologists. I needed a much better helping hand through that section, if not more. I ended with the opinion that this thinks it's a GCSE book, but it's for A- and AS-level sociology students. Certainly, it remains the fact a certain comedy sketch tells all you need to know about class. Although I don't look down on this too nastily.

This is a fun and engaging book, taking a broad range of theories and movements and drawing a narrative across them in a way that felt accessible and informative.

It's impressive how much is covered in a short space, and especially how various intersecting identities are also covered within class, and how thinkers from outside the English-speaking world are considered.

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.