Summer 2007 (Class of 2011): Class Matters - by correspondents of the New York Times (2005).
Book Description- from Publishers
Weekly
We Americans have long thought of ourselves as unburdened by class
distinctions. We have no hereditary aristocracy, 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 explore 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 unbounded opportunity. We meet individuals in
Kentucky and Chicago who have used education to lift themselves our
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 move 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 alter. For
anyone concerned about the future of the American dream, Class
Matters is truly essential reading. -2005 edition
Discussion Questions
1. What class would you say you belong to?
2. What impact has class had on your life?
3. Does your family have a history of class mobility, upward or downward?
4. What role do you expect your college education to play in the class system described in Chapter 1, which says that class is determined by education, income, occupation and wealth?
5. Which individuals whose stories are told in this book do you feel the most kinship with? Why? Is there anyone you don't feel kinship with?
6. Is it divisive to class about class is America? Is it divisive not to talk about class?
7. The book insists that class matters. Do you agree? You will find interactive resources to help you approach this question at the New York Times.
