Class Politics

Before the COVID-19 pandemic devastated the country, more than six million people earned their living as tipped workers in the service industry. These workers, unsurprisingly, were among the most vulnerable workers during the pandemic. As in many other areas, the pandemic exposed the inadequacies of the nation's social safety net and minimum-wage standards. In her new book, One Fair Wage, Jayaraman shines a light on these workers, illustrating how the people left out of the fight for a fair minimum wage are society's most marginalized.

David Ranney’s vivid memoir describes his work experiences between 1976 and 1982 in the factories of Southeast Chicago and Northwest Indiana. The audiobook opens with a detailed description of what it was like to live and work in one of the heaviest industrial concentrations in the world. The author takes the listener on a walk through the heart of the South Side, Chicago, observing the noise, heavy traffic, the 24-hour restaurants and bars, the rich diversity of people on the streets at all hours of the day and night, and the smell of the highly polluted air.

"Dass ich den Dieselmotor erfunden habe, ist schön und gut. Aber meine Hauptleistung ist, dass ich die soziale Frage gelöst habe." Jeder kennt Rudolf Diesel (1858 - 1913) als Erfinder des gleichnamigen Motors. Doch weit wenigeren ist bekannt, dass er im Jahre 1903 mit seinem Werk "Der Solidarismus" das Bild einer neuen Wirtschafts- und Gesellschaftsordnung entwarf, das Konzepte wie Grundeinkommen und Crowdfunding praktisch einhundert Jahre vorwegnahm!

Come può una società signorile essere anche di massa? Con questa paradossale definizione, Luca Ricolfi introduce una nuova, forse definitiva, categoria interpretativa, che scardina le idee correnti sulla società in cui viviamo. Oggi, per la prima volta nella storia d'Italia, ricorrono insieme tre condizioni: il numero di cittadini che non lavorano ha superato ampiamente il numero di cittadini che lavorano; l'accesso ai consumi opulenti ha raggiunto una larga parte della popolazione; l'economia è entrata in stagnazione e la produttività è ferma da vent'anni.

La vida es movimiento y la dirección de este movimiento es hacia arriba. Si todos debemos movernos para sobrevivir, vale la pena preguntarse: ¿qué factores de nuestro entorno nos impulsan a movernos y cuáles, por el contrario, nos detienen? ¿Por qué algunas personas tienen la oportunidad de moverse hacia donde quieren y otras no? ¿Por qué ciertas sociedades evolucionan y otras no? El autor del libro estudió los códigos culturales y el comportamiento Bio-Lógico de 71 países para desarrollar un índice de que permite medir la movilidad social dentro de estas sociedades.

In the first half of the 20th century, Dunbar was an academically elite public school, despite being racially segregated by law. By the 1950s, Dunbar High School was sending 80 percent of its students to college. Today, as with too many troubled urban public schools, the majority of Dunbar students struggle with reading and math. Journalist and author Alison Stewart, whose parents were both Dunbar graduates, tells the story of the school’s rise, fall, and path toward resurgence.

Geld ist nicht alles? Aber Geld ist ziemlich viel: Macht, Status, Lebensgrundlage. Und Grund für ziemlich viele Gefühle: Scham, Neid, Eifersucht. Aber auch Sicherheit, Glück, Freiheit. Was macht Geld mit uns, und was machen wir mit Geld? Mareice Kaiser erzählt ihre eigene Geldgeschichte und trifft Menschen, mit denen sie über Geld spricht. Vom Pfandflaschensammler bis zum Multi-Millionär stellt sie ihnen Fragen: Wie viel Geld ist genug? Wie viel Geld macht glücklich? Wer sollte mehr Geld haben? Wer weniger? Und wie könnte Geld gerechter verteilt sein?

Un manifiesto necesario para una democracia global. Una impactante historia al estilo David y Goliat sobre un joven activista de Hong Kong, quien con tan solo veintidós años está sacudiendo e inspirando al mundo entero. A los catorce años Joshua Wong ya hizo historia. Mientras los adultos guardaban silencio, Joshua escenificó la primera protesta de estudiantes en Hong Kong en contra del sistema de educación nacional, y ganó.

A vividly written and timely polemic tackling the burning injustices shaping British society today, Fortress London argues that to address Britain’s manifold problems, we need first to end the hegemony of its capital. Enriched by a vast array of interviews and statistics, it will examine how our individual destinies, from childhood to death, are determined by the disproportionate power of London.

O Marxismo Desmascarado reúne a transcrição das nove palestras ministradas, em 1952, por Ludwig von Mises na Biblioteca Pública de São Francisco. Em seu característico estilo didático e agradável, o autor refuta as ideias marxistas em seus aspectos históricos, econômicos, políticos e culturais. A crítica misesiana ressalta não apenas os problemas econômicos do marxismo, mas, também, discute outras questões correlatas a esta doutrina, como a negação do individualismo, o nacionalismo, o conflito de classes, a revolução violenta e a manipulação humana.

Health insurance, student loan debt, retirement savings, child care, work-life balance, access to home ownership - these are the issues driving America's current political debates. And they are all linked, as this brilliant and timely book reveals, by a single question: should we allow the free market to determine our lives? In the tradition of Naomi Klein's Shock Doctrine, noted economic commentator Mike Konczal answers this question with a resounding no. Freedom from the Market blends passionate political argument and a bold new take on American history....

Simon Anholt has spent decades helping countries, from Austria to Zambia, to improve their international standing. Using colorful descriptions of his experiences - dining with Vladimir Putin at his country home, taking a group of Felipe Calderon’s advisors on their first Mexico City subway ride, touring a beautiful new government hospital in Afghanistan that nobody would use because it was in Taliban-controlled territory - he tells how he began finding answers to that question.

In Dreams of the Overworked, Christine M. Beckman and Melissa Mazmanian offer vivid sketches of daily life for nine families, capturing what it means to live, work, and parent in a world of impossible expectations, now amplified unlike ever before by smart devices. We are invited into homes and offices, where we recognize the crushing pressure of unraveling plans, and the healing warmth of being together. Moreover, we witness the constant planning that goes into a "good" day, often with the aid of phones and apps.

Music Hall and Modernity offers a complex view of the new middle-class, middle-brow, mass culture of late-Victorian London and contributes to a body of scholarship on 19th-century urbanism. The book will also interest scholars concerned with the emergence of a professional managerial class and the genealogy of cultural studies.

In the era of mass incarceration, over 600,000 people are released from federal or state prison each year, with many returning to chaotic living environments. In these circumstances, how do former prisoners navigate reentering society? In Homeward, sociologist Bruce Western examines the tumultuous first year after release from prison. Drawing from in-depth interviews with over 100 individuals, he describes the lives of the formerly incarcerated and demonstrates how poverty, racial inequality, and failures of social support trap many in a cycle of vulnerability.

Since the Great Recession, most Americans' standard of living has stagnated or declined. Economic inequality is at historic highs. But inequality's impact differs by race; African Americans' net wealth is just a 10th that of White Americans, and over recent decades, White families have accumulated wealth at three times the rate of Black families. In our increasingly diverse nation, sociologist Thomas M. Shapiro argues, wealth disparities must be understood in tandem with racial inequities - a dangerous combination he terms "toxic inequality".

From the inquisitive layperson to the professional economist or policymaker, The Inequality Paradox is essential listening for understanding the global economy in its present state. McWilliams is a fresh, authoritative voice entering the global discussion, making this book indispensable in preparing for the imminent economic challenges of our changing world.

C'è una linea immaginaria eppure realissima, una ferita non chiusa, un luogo di tutti e di nessuno di cui ognuno, invisibilmente, è parte: è la frontiera che separa e insieme unisce il Nord del mondo, democratico, liberale e civilizzato, e il Sud, povero, morso dalla guerra, arretrato e antidemocratico. È sul margine di questa frontiera che si gioca il grande gioco del mondo contemporaneo.

This story is set in the village of Tirhat, a village where, in day-to-day life, you can see glimpses of the recent past and today's change. This story is a true depiction of reality - of the inequalities and the struggles the people of this village face. With memorable characters that seem to talk to you and a great story, this book will surely leave a mark on its listeners.

Through meticulous research, author Gini Graham Scott paints a stark portrait of this growing division in modern society, drawing surprising accurate parallels to the Middle Ages and telling how our present course is ripe for social and political upheaval.