Alissa Quart and David Wallis, "Going for Broke: Living on the Edge in the World's Richest Country" (Haymarket, 2023)
Feb 28, 2024
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Explore real stories of economic precarity in 'Going for Broke', featuring essays by essential workers, military veterans, and others. Uncover the impact of income inequality on bodies, minds, and families, with introductions by influential voices. Dive into themes of labor reporting, pet ownership challenges, class disparities, and personal narratives of financial struggles.
The anthology sheds light on personal struggles during the pandemic, emphasizing the intersection of individual experiences with broader societal issues.
Labor reporting initiatives aim to amplify voices of lower-income individuals, challenging traditional narratives about poverty and highlighting the need for more inclusive reporting.
Deep dives
Economic Hardship Reporting Project and Its Mission
Barbara Aronweide started the Economic Hardship Reporting Project in 2012 to amplify voices of lower-income individuals and people of color in the media, challenging traditional narratives about poverty. The project funds thousands of pieces by contributors from diverse backgrounds, aiming to change the conversation around poverty and inequality by sharing stories from those directly impacted.
Evolution of Labor Reporting
Labor reporting has seen a resurgence partly due to independent reporters experiencing low wages in journalism. Initiatives like Flaming Hydra, including labor reporters, and movements towards unionizing in journalism reflect a shift in attention towards labor issues. The media's coverage often focuses on company perspectives rather than the workers, highlighting the need for more inclusive reporting.
Stories of Real Issues: Bodies, Homes, Families, and Work
The anthology delves into personal accounts during the pandemic, highlighting struggles related to bodies, homes, families, and work. Compelling essays explore the challenges of housing insecurity, poignant family dynamics, and the harsh realities faced by adjunct academics. Each story captures the intersection of personal experiences with broader societal issues.
Reflections on Class and Inequality Today
With a focus on making work visible, the collection sheds light on the experiences of those in precarious academic positions and other working-class individuals. It challenges conventional ideas of class, emphasizing the structural inequalities and personal narratives intertwined with social issues. Through a mix of poignant accounts and analytic perspectives, the anthology offers a deep reflection on class struggles and inequality in contemporary society.
Going for Broke, edited by Alissa Quart, Executive Director of the Economic Hardship Reporting Project, and David Wallis, former Managing Director of EHRP, gives voice to a range of gifted writers for whom "economic precarity" is more than just another assignment. All illustrate what the late Barbara Ehrenreich, who conceived of EHRP, once described as "the real face of journalism today: not million dollar-a-year anchorpersons, but low-wage workers and downwardly spiraling professionals."One essayist and grocery store worker describes what it is like to be an "essential worker" during the pandemic; another reporter and military veteran details his experience with homelessness and what would have actually helped him at the time. These dozens of fierce and sometimes darkly funny pieces reflect the larger systems that have made writers' bodily experiences, family and home lives, and work far harder than they ought to be.Featuring introductions by luminaries including Michelle Tea, Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, and Astra Taylor, Going for Broke is revelatory. It shows us the costs of income inequality to our bodies and our minds--and demonstrates real ways to change our conditions.