Class Matters
Class Matters by The New York Times, published by Macmillan on September 2, 2005, is a comprehensive exploration of social class in America, consisting of 268 pages. This edition presents a series of reports that delve into how class distinctions, often overlooked in a society that prides itself on equal opportunity, significantly influence individuals’ lives and destinies. The book examines the interplay of income, education, wealth, and occupation, revealing the complexities of social mobility through various personal stories across the United States.
Readers will find a detailed investigation into the realities of class disparities, featuring narratives from individuals in diverse locations such as Kentucky, Chicago, Virginia, and Nantucket. The book highlights how education can serve as a pathway out of poverty for some, while others remain constrained by their circumstances. It also addresses the impact of social class on everyday experiences, from healthcare to marriage. Class Matters provides insights into the ongoing economic conditions and social science issues related to social classes and economic disparity in the 21st century.
Official synopsis Publisher
The acclaimed New York Times series on social class in America—and its implications for the way we live our lives
We Americans have long thought of ourselves as unburdened by class distinctions. We have no hereditary aristocracy or landed gentry, and even the poorest among us feel that they can become rich through education, hard work, or sheer gumption. And yet social class remains a powerful force in American life.
In Class Matters, a team of New York Times reporters explores the ways in which class—defined as a combination of income, education, wealth, and occupation—influences destiny in a society that likes to think of itself as a land of opportunity. We meet individuals in Kentucky and Chicago who have used education to lift themselves out of poverty and others in Virginia and Washington whose lack of education holds them back. We meet an upper-middle-class family in Georgia who moves to a different town every few years, and the newly rich in Nantucket whose mega-mansions have driven out the longstanding residents. And we see how class disparities manifest themselves at the doctor’s office and at the marriage altar.
For anyone concerned about the future of the American dream, Class Matters is truly essential reading.
“Class Matters is a beautifully reported, deeply disturbing, portrait of a society bent out of shape by harsh inequalities. Read it and see how you fit into the problem or—better yet—the solution!”
—Barbara Ehrenreich, author of Nickel and Dimed and Bait and Switch
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