It's a great primer to theory, without necessarily being an enigmatic and philosophical text. In a way, this book is like Marx & Engels for people-namely, Americans-who are still entrenched in the legacy of McCarthyism and the red scare, of a culture dependent on pure capitalism and its effects, yet understandably might be ignorant of how capitalism itself works and want to learn without feeling accosted. I think the readers who will gain the most from this book are those similar to Biss, who are white, American, upper 'middle' class, and generally consider moments of discomfort (if at all) in identification of their class or privilege as affronts to their identity. This is also coincidentally a subject covered in the book). Reviews posted previously seem to say this book just doesn't read the room, or has a general air of ignorance or privilege and I agree-to a certain extent, where I still think this book is helpful and necessary (not that it needs to be-Biss could certainly write this book for no reason, if only personal fulfillment. I was equally hesitant and enthusiastic, and the reviews definitely seemed mixed, while the press and publisher information seemed encouraging. I really did not know what to think about this book. If you are currently skimming the reviews to determine whether to read I have a review for you.
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