Running for Your Life: White Working Class Notes

Justin Gest’s book, “The White Working Class,” subtitled “What Everyone Needs to Know,” published by Oxford Press, is not to be missed. I’ve been reading an advance copy but it’s out in June.

Generally these nonfiction subtitles miss the mark by a million miles.

Not so here. Gest earns it by putting down a tightly researched, fluidly written argument, backed up with myriad charts and graphs (OK, so I’m not a big fan of the data overload), to explain just how we got to this particular moment in American political, social and economic history.

Russian meddling to get Trump elected? Ex-FBI Director Jim Comey’s weird-ass public announcements in 2016 regarding Hillary Clinton’s e-mail morass?

Life does not conform to the simple narratives that dominate most of our bookshelves and certainly clog the I’m-With-Stupid internet.

If you are looking to get a handle on just what the hell is going on, then do yourself a favor and read this book. Yep, it’s What Everyone Needs to Know.

Next: Running for Your Life: Open “The Door”