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grouchomarxist's review against another edition
3.0
Placeholder review
Some good observations and awful conclusions. I will write more later. But in the meantime I will note that this guy quotes the likes of Charles Murray (of The Bell Curve fame!) and implies that virtually anything people do to help their children is part of a malicious economic game. There's no room in his world for intrinsic values. His view of the world is one in which people only value pursuits insofar as they bring profit, in which people dropping millions to secure legacy college admissions are upper middle class, and in which parents should consider not reading to their children so as to ensure the proper amount of class self-flagellation. I was disappointed in this book.
Also, edited to add this important fact: He never once mentions health care costs or the ways that a serious illness or injury can absolutely bankrupt people even among the "dream hoarding" class. He never mentions that downward mobility via medical bankruptcy is basically a threat for everyone in America except the 1%. Even with the ACA, many people still face outrageous health care costs, especially if they require long-term care late in life. This is a fact he conveniently ignores in his quest to shame people with a certain combination of income, financial planning acumen / privilege, and personal values that happen to include education. He conflates the 1% with the "upper middle class" so often it's deceitful.
Some good observations and awful conclusions. I will write more later. But in the meantime I will note that this guy quotes the likes of Charles Murray (of The Bell Curve fame!) and implies that virtually anything people do to help their children is part of a malicious economic game. There's no room in his world for intrinsic values. His view of the world is one in which people only value pursuits insofar as they bring profit, in which people dropping millions to secure legacy college admissions are upper middle class, and in which parents should consider not reading to their children so as to ensure the proper amount of class self-flagellation. I was disappointed in this book.
Also, edited to add this important fact: He never once mentions health care costs or the ways that a serious illness or injury can absolutely bankrupt people even among the "dream hoarding" class. He never mentions that downward mobility via medical bankruptcy is basically a threat for everyone in America except the 1%. Even with the ACA, many people still face outrageous health care costs, especially if they require long-term care late in life. This is a fact he conveniently ignores in his quest to shame people with a certain combination of income, financial planning acumen / privilege, and personal values that happen to include education. He conflates the 1% with the "upper middle class" so often it's deceitful.
hc21's review against another edition
3.0
I found the ideas in this book interesting but only superficially analyzed. (Note: I read the first, 150-page edition. I believe a longer edition is forthcoming.) I was also frustrated by the scope of his project - he deliberates scopes out race and completely ignores regional variations that might be different from his experience. And yet, having removed the most difficult problems from his sights, his recommendations are minor and under-cited. He’s convinced me of his problem but not his solutions.
schmavery's review against another edition
4.0
In general, I think this book has an important message about realizing where to draw the line when it comes to people being considered “rich“.
It felt a little unfocused at times, the author’s own strong dislike of anything resembling a class-based society sometimes gets in the way of a clear exploration of the ideas.
That said, it felt pretty realistic in its suggestions and had some interesting ideas. Definitely worth thinking about for many people.
It felt a little unfocused at times, the author’s own strong dislike of anything resembling a class-based society sometimes gets in the way of a clear exploration of the ideas.
That said, it felt pretty realistic in its suggestions and had some interesting ideas. Definitely worth thinking about for many people.
rinnyssance's review against another edition
4.0
This book talks about the benefits the upper-middle class have, which they pass on to their children through various tax breaks, zoning laws, social connections and educational investments and training. To be quite honest, I read the book simply for this reason. To see how the rich raise their children. However, Reeves also talks about how these benefits are "hoarded" by the 20% of Americans that fall under this tax bracket and should be shared with the of the other 80% of the country through a few sacrifices here and there.
I want to start by saying this book's tone does not direct itself to people of color (or people in general, for that matter) who are moving into the upper-middle class with say, a $50K income by marrying someone with an income of $82K. Which adds up to an upper-middle class income. It's also not for someone who is the first of their family to belong to the upper-middle class. The second-person tone is intended for the rich, White elite. Those Americans who have generational wealth and plan to pass their legacy on to their children. With good reason! They have the least to lose by giving up a little to help others get just a fraction of what they have.
I bring this up because, as a Black woman, I am not giving up my legacy status that might get my niece or nephew into the elite universities I worked to gain entrance into. I am not going to miss the opportunity to use my social connections to get my child a job in an industry they are interested in. Black people are creating these communities today so that we don't need to ask White conservatives for permission anymore. It's a necessary network because I don't believe the White networks will be going anywhere, ever.
While I believe that White, upper-class liberals may feel as though they can give up a little to help people at the bottom gain a little, conservatives won't be as willing. We know this because a majority of White men, the top earners in this country, voted Trump into office, and so did half of their wives. So while I think Reeves, however well-intentioned, did an amazing job aggregating research and data, his solutions may not be as realistic or even reasonable to most of his cohorts. I wonder if he realizes just how many disagree with him.
The other thing that irked me was the redundancy of the book. Each chapter said the exact same thing over and over, some points more amplified than others depending what the chapter was labeled. But I'll dismiss it. I also found the "there are no class lines" argument to be a little tone deaf, considering that if you drive through any major city you can clearly tell the difference between housing, grocery stores (if they even are any), schools and even where and how kids are playing.
I think when some people claim there are no clear class lines in America, they're talking about how we can all sit in the same movie theatre or something. The reality is that class is very apparent here. It's just that people stay away from one another, no one speaks the same language, and no one talks about it. As a small example, he said that people do not focus much on elocution in the states. Though, if you come from an inner-city neighborhood, you definitely don't speak the same language as a child who was primed to be a financial adviser from a young age. That can and will affect your future in the American social stratosphere, whether you are highly educated or not.
I didn't expect the author to know these things but I think the distinction should be noted for any Black readers who may pick up this book. Read it to see how the rich raise their kids. Do not read it to see exactly what they think the answers to our troubles should be. You'll gain more out of the book if you do.
I want to start by saying this book's tone does not direct itself to people of color (or people in general, for that matter) who are moving into the upper-middle class with say, a $50K income by marrying someone with an income of $82K. Which adds up to an upper-middle class income. It's also not for someone who is the first of their family to belong to the upper-middle class. The second-person tone is intended for the rich, White elite. Those Americans who have generational wealth and plan to pass their legacy on to their children. With good reason! They have the least to lose by giving up a little to help others get just a fraction of what they have.
I bring this up because, as a Black woman, I am not giving up my legacy status that might get my niece or nephew into the elite universities I worked to gain entrance into. I am not going to miss the opportunity to use my social connections to get my child a job in an industry they are interested in. Black people are creating these communities today so that we don't need to ask White conservatives for permission anymore. It's a necessary network because I don't believe the White networks will be going anywhere, ever.
While I believe that White, upper-class liberals may feel as though they can give up a little to help people at the bottom gain a little, conservatives won't be as willing. We know this because a majority of White men, the top earners in this country, voted Trump into office, and so did half of their wives. So while I think Reeves, however well-intentioned, did an amazing job aggregating research and data, his solutions may not be as realistic or even reasonable to most of his cohorts. I wonder if he realizes just how many disagree with him.
The other thing that irked me was the redundancy of the book. Each chapter said the exact same thing over and over, some points more amplified than others depending what the chapter was labeled. But I'll dismiss it. I also found the "there are no class lines" argument to be a little tone deaf, considering that if you drive through any major city you can clearly tell the difference between housing, grocery stores (if they even are any), schools and even where and how kids are playing.
I think when some people claim there are no clear class lines in America, they're talking about how we can all sit in the same movie theatre or something. The reality is that class is very apparent here. It's just that people stay away from one another, no one speaks the same language, and no one talks about it. As a small example, he said that people do not focus much on elocution in the states. Though, if you come from an inner-city neighborhood, you definitely don't speak the same language as a child who was primed to be a financial adviser from a young age. That can and will affect your future in the American social stratosphere, whether you are highly educated or not.
I didn't expect the author to know these things but I think the distinction should be noted for any Black readers who may pick up this book. Read it to see how the rich raise their kids. Do not read it to see exactly what they think the answers to our troubles should be. You'll gain more out of the book if you do.
bootman's review against another edition
5.0
I learned about this book from the amazing book The Cult of Smart by Fredrik deBoer, and I binged it in pretty much one sitting. This is a short read, but Reeves did a phenomenal job explaining how the Upper Middle Class is a major part of the problem with inequality in the United States. Yes, the extremely wealthy 1% are an issue, but many of us don't want to recognize our own privilege while many people are struggling. This book covers everything from education, to the problems with meritocracy, and more. If this book makes you want to take action, I highly recommend that you not only consider the solutions Reeves offers but also read The Most Good You Can Do by Peter Singer.
mindfullibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
This book was a great thinking piece for why the top 20% of the population (households earning over $120,000) are as much a problem in creating a classist society as are the top 1%. It was an uncomfortable read/listen, as it proposes solutions that would directly impact ME in a financially negative way, but I'm all for lifting those lower than I am, so I completely understand where he is coming from. All of the solutions are very high-level and policy-based, but for the lowly citizen, it can at least make you give pause when moving the earth to give your child every single opportunity to try to move them ahead of the rest, or moving out of a lower class neighborhood to one with better schools........a provocative read for sure.