White Working Class
Overcoming Class Cluelessness in America
by Joan C. Williams
This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
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Pub Date May 16 2017 | Archive Date May 17 2017
Description
"I recommend a book by Professor Williams, it is really worth a read, it's called White Working Class." -- Vice President Joe Biden on Pod Save America
An Amazon Best Business and Leadership book of 2017
Around the world, populist movements are gaining traction among the white working class. Meanwhile, members of the professional elite—journalists, managers, and establishment politicians--are on the outside looking in, left to argue over the reasons. In White Working Class, Joan C. Williams, described as having "something approaching rock star status" by the New York Times, explains why so much of the elite's analysis of the white working class is misguided, rooted in class cluelessness.
Williams explains that many people have conflated "working class" with "poor"--but the working class is, in fact, the elusive, purportedly disappearing middle class. They often resent the poor and the professionals alike. But they don't resent the truly rich, nor are they particularly bothered by income inequality. Their dream is not to join the upper middle class, with its different culture, but to stay true to their own values in their own communities--just with more money. While white working-class motivations are often dismissed as racist or xenophobic, Williams shows that they have their own class consciousness.
White Working Class is a blunt, bracing narrative that sketches a nuanced portrait of millions of people who have proven to be a potent political force. For anyone stunned by the rise of populist, nationalist movements, wondering why so many would seemingly vote against their own economic interests, or simply feeling like a stranger in their own country, White Working Class will be a convincing primer on how to connect with a crucial set of workers--and voters.
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781633693784 |
| PRICE | $22.99 (USD) |
| PAGES | 112 |
Featured Reviews
Ian S, Librarian
This is a really important book. As many people, it took me a while to cope with the results of the 2016 election. To help, I am getting more involving in my local party and supporting candidates I believe in at a municipal level this year. This book explains a lot about why the election broke for Trump. It made me examine my own privileged place in the world and how I am out of touch with my blue collar roots.
Williams does a great job of explaining why things between classes are complicated. Being a stay at home mom is a status upgrade for a working class mom because it allows he more quality time with her children and spouse. A professional elite may look down about this choice because they don't understand it.
Basically, there is a lot about the white working class that professional elites don't understand or don't try to understand but this book helps a lot. I recommend this book for any Democrats out there that want to plan for a future where they start winning again.
My only disappointment with this book is that while we hear plenty about Trump, I don't recall reading anything about the other candidate that connected with the white working class, Bernie Sanders. The book made me wonder what would have happened if Sanders would have been the nominee.
Paula B, Reviewer
This book came at the perfect time. Several political friends have urged that it's time to make nice with the white working class, but as someone who left my rural Midwestern home, I'm still having trouble why people would vote so definitively against their interests. This book attempts to explain why, and I get the phenomenon better than I used to. I don't always agree with Williams' conclusions, and I'm still more angry than she seems to be, but I''m glad she went to the trouble to write this. It's more like a long essay than an actual book, so it's a quick read, and much will sound familiar even without referring all the hnotes. (I know a lawyer wrote it because of the copious amount of footnotes.
I know Joan Williams as a professional colleague and she teaches at my law school alma mater; however, that relationship did not affect my review. Nor did receiving the book for free in advance by NetGalley. This review will be posted at Goodreads when publication info for this book is ready.
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