50 Books like Not Working

American Made

by Farah Stockman • 2021

Three factory workers lost their jobs to Mexico. What they lost next surprised everyone but them.

4.31

1k+

🏭 Deindustrialization 🏚️ Rust Belt 👷 Working Class America

American Made 94%

Three factory workers lost their jobs to Mexico. What they lost next surprised everyone but them.

by Farah Stockman 2021

4.31

1k+ ratings

🏭 Deindustrialization 🏚️ Rust Belt 👷 Working Class America

Kids These Days

by Malcolm Harris • 2017

Childhood became a competition for human capital. Millennials are what that competition produces.

3.77

2k+

👥 Generational Economics 💼 Human Capital Theory 💸 Student Debt Crisis

Kids These Days 93%

Childhood became a competition for human capital. Millennials are what that competition produces.

by Malcolm Harris 2017

3.77

2k+ ratings

👥 Generational Economics 💼 Human Capital Theory 💸 Student Debt Crisis

No Shame in My Game

by Katherine S. Newman • 1999

The job everyone ridicules might be the best shot at dignity for America's working poor.

3.75

466

🧐 Urban Ethnography 🧑‍🏭 Working Poor 🍔 Low-Wage Labor

No Shame in My Game 93%

The job everyone ridicules might be the best shot at dignity for America's working poor.

by Katherine S. Newman 1999

3.75

466 ratings

🧐 Urban Ethnography 🧑‍🏭 Working Poor 🍔 Low-Wage Labor

Work Won't Love You Back

by Sarah Jaffe • 2021

From unpaid interns to burned-out coders, one ideology fuels it all: devotion to the job.

3.94

5k+

✊ Labor Organizing 🧡 Passion Economy 🎭 Emotional Labor

Work Won't Love You Back 93%

From unpaid interns to burned-out coders, one ideology fuels it all: devotion to the job.

by Sarah Jaffe 2021

3.94

5k+ ratings

✊ Labor Organizing 🧡 Passion Economy 🎭 Emotional Labor

I Survived Capitalism and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt

by Madeline Pendleton • 2024

The financial rules that work when you are broke look nothing like the ones in the bestsellers.

4.52

4k+

💰 Financial Memoir 📱 Millennial Money 🏚️ Economic Precarity

I Survived Capitalism and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt Summary

I Survived Capitalism and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt 93%

The financial rules that work when you are broke look nothing like the ones in the bestsellers.

by Madeline Pendleton 2024

4.52

4k+ ratings

💰 Financial Memoir 📱 Millennial Money 🏚️ Economic Precarity

Glass House

by Brian Alexander • 2017

Private equity bought a glass factory. By the time they were done, a town was destroyed.

3.91

2k+

🏭 Deindustrialization 💰 Private Equity 💊 Opioid Epidemic

Glass House 93%

Private equity bought a glass factory. By the time they were done, a town was destroyed.

by Brian Alexander 2017

3.91

2k+ ratings

🏭 Deindustrialization 💰 Private Equity 💊 Opioid Epidemic

Paper Girl

by Beth Macy • 2025

A Pell Grant was her exit from working-class Ohio. Four decades later, the road is closed.

4.02

11k+

🏡 Rural America 👷 Working-Class Memoir 🏭 Post-Industrial Decline

Paper Girl 93%

A Pell Grant was her exit from working-class Ohio. Four decades later, the road is closed.

by Beth Macy 2025

4.02

11k+ ratings

🏡 Rural America 👷 Working-Class Memoir 🏭 Post-Industrial Decline

English Journey

by J.B. Priestley • 1934

Factories silent, towns hollow, but the people Priestley met in 1933 refused to vanish.

4.09

483

🏭 Industrial Decline 📉 Depression Era 👷 Working Class Life

English Journey 92%

Factories silent, towns hollow, but the people Priestley met in 1933 refused to vanish.

by J.B. Priestley 1934

4.09

483 ratings

🏭 Industrial Decline 📉 Depression Era 👷 Working Class Life

Men Without Work

by Nicholas Eberstadt • 2016

Seven million prime-age men have quit the workforce entirely. The problem isn't a lack of jobs.

3.41

501

🏭 Labor Economics 📊 Workforce Participation 🏛️ Welfare Reform

Men Without Work 92%

Seven million prime-age men have quit the workforce entirely. The problem isn't a lack of jobs.

by Nicholas Eberstadt 2016

3.41

501 ratings

🏭 Labor Economics 📊 Workforce Participation 🏛️ Welfare Reform

Undercover Economist

by Tim Harford • 2005

Prices tell the truth about power and scarcity, and a used car lot proves it.

3.81

30k+

🛒 Everyday Economics 📚 Economic Literacy ⚠️ Market Failure

Undercover Economist 92%

Prices tell the truth about power and scarcity, and a used car lot proves it.

by Tim Harford 2005

3.81

30k+ ratings

🛒 Everyday Economics 📚 Economic Literacy ⚠️ Market Failure

Deaths of Despair and the Future of Capitalism

by Anne Case • 2020

Less-educated white Americans are dying younger. The cause is not drugs or suicide; it's capitalism.

3.81

2k+

🏥 Public Health 🏭 Labor Economics ⚖️ Health Inequality

Deaths of Despair and the Future of Capitalism Summary

Deaths of Despair and the Future of Capitalism 92%

Less-educated white Americans are dying younger. The cause is not drugs or suicide; it's capitalism.

by Anne Case 2020

3.81

2k+ ratings

🏥 Public Health 🏭 Labor Economics ⚖️ Health Inequality

Poverty, by America

by Matthew Desmond • 2023

Poverty in America persists by design, fueled by exploitation and welfare that flows to the top.

4.27

64k+

🏚️ Housing Exploitation 🛠️ Labor Exploitation 💰 Affluent Welfare

Poverty, by America 92%

Poverty in America persists by design, fueled by exploitation and welfare that flows to the top.

by Matthew Desmond 2023

4.27

64k+ ratings

🏚️ Housing Exploitation 🛠️ Labor Exploitation 💰 Affluent Welfare

The Race between Education and Technology

by Claudia Goldin • 2008

The 20th century's inequality curve has a single engine: how fast education kept pace with machines.

3.81

189

📈 Economic History 🏫 Education Policy 👷 Human Capital

The Race between Education and Technology Summary

The Race between Education and Technology 92%

The 20th century's inequality curve has a single engine: how fast education kept pace with machines.

by Claudia Goldin 2008

3.81

189 ratings

📈 Economic History 🏫 Education Policy 👷 Human Capital

Making It in America

by Rachel Slade • 2024

Sixty thousand American factories shuttered since NAFTA. One couple bet everything to open just one.

3.63

323

🏭 American Manufacturing 📉 Manufacturing Decline 📜 Trade Policy

Making It in America 92%

Sixty thousand American factories shuttered since NAFTA. One couple bet everything to open just one.

by Rachel Slade 2024

3.63

323 ratings

🏭 American Manufacturing 📉 Manufacturing Decline 📜 Trade Policy

The Technology Trap

by Carl Benedikt Frey • 2019

The telescope helps you see. The power loom takes your job. Which one is AI?

4.10

657

🏛️ Economic History 👷 Labor Economics 🏭 Industrial Revolution

The Technology Trap 92%

The telescope helps you see. The power loom takes your job. Which one is AI?

by Carl Benedikt Frey 2019

4.10

657 ratings

🏛️ Economic History 👷 Labor Economics 🏭 Industrial Revolution

Justice at Work

by Marc Doussard • 2022

How coalitions fuse racial and economic justice to win policy in cities.

5.00

🏙️ Urban Policy ✊ Labor Movements 🤝 Coalition Building

Justice at Work 92%

How coalitions fuse racial and economic justice to win policy in cities.

by Marc Doussard 2022

5.00

3 ratings

🏙️ Urban Policy ✊ Labor Movements 🤝 Coalition Building

Broke, USA

by Gary Rivlin • 2010

How pawnshops and payday lenders turned the working poor into a multi-billion dollar market.

3.71

1k+

🦈 Predatory Lending 🏚️ Poverty Economics 🚪 Financial Exclusion

Broke, USA 92%

How pawnshops and payday lenders turned the working poor into a multi-billion dollar market.

by Gary Rivlin 2010

3.71

1k+ ratings

🦈 Predatory Lending 🏚️ Poverty Economics 🚪 Financial Exclusion

How the Other Half Banks

by Mehrsa Baradaran • 2015

Banks get public support but exclude the poor. The public option that restores the social contract.

4.09

626

🏦 Banking History 📜 Financial Regulation 🇺🇸 Us Economic Policy

How the Other Half Banks 92%

Banks get public support but exclude the poor. The public option that restores the social contract.

by Mehrsa Baradaran 2015

4.09

626 ratings

🏦 Banking History 📜 Financial Regulation 🇺🇸 Us Economic Policy

How the Poor Can Save Capitalism

by John Hope Bryant • 2014

The poor aren't a drain; they're an untapped engine. A blueprint for making capitalism include them.

3.99

210

🧠 Financial Literacy 📈 Credit Repair 🏦 Community Banking

How the Poor Can Save Capitalism Summary

How the Poor Can Save Capitalism 92%

The poor aren't a drain; they're an untapped engine. A blueprint for making capitalism include them.

by John Hope Bryant 2014

3.99

210 ratings

🧠 Financial Literacy 📈 Credit Repair 🏦 Community Banking

Black Folk

by Blair L.M. Kelley • 2023

Forged in slavery, the Black working class built power through community, not just wages.

4.49

417

🔨 American Labor History 💰 Black Economic History 🏭 Working Class Studies

Black Folk 92%

Forged in slavery, the Black working class built power through community, not just wages.

by Blair L.M. Kelley 2023

4.49

417 ratings

🔨 American Labor History 💰 Black Economic History 🏭 Working Class Studies

Gang Leader for a Day

by Sudhir Venkatesh • 2008

A sociologist ran a Chicago gang for a day. The books were cleaner than he expected.

4.07

26k+

🏙️ Urban Poverty 📝 Ethnographic Fieldwork 💰 Underground Economy

Gang Leader for a Day 92%

A sociologist ran a Chicago gang for a day. The books were cleaner than he expected.

by Sudhir Venkatesh 2008

4.07

26k+ ratings

🏙️ Urban Poverty 📝 Ethnographic Fieldwork 💰 Underground Economy

Who Stole the American Dream?

by Hedrick Smith • 2012

One 1971 memo mobilized business for political combat. The middle class never recovered.

4.19

874

🏛️ Political Economy 🏢 Corporate Power 📉 Middle Class Decline

Who Stole the American Dream? 92%

One 1971 memo mobilized business for political combat. The middle class never recovered.

by Hedrick Smith 2012

4.19

874 ratings

🏛️ Political Economy 🏢 Corporate Power 📉 Middle Class Decline

Maid

by Stephanie Land • 2019

A single mother cleans houses while barely holding onto her own: life inside the working poor.

3.86

114k+

💰 Working Poor 🧹 Domestic Labor 🌫️ Invisible Labor

Maid 92%

A single mother cleans houses while barely holding onto her own: life inside the working poor.

by Stephanie Land 2019

3.86

114k+ ratings

💰 Working Poor 🧹 Domestic Labor 🌫️ Invisible Labor

Evicted

by Matthew Desmond • 2016

Poverty isn't the cause of eviction. Eviction is the cause of poverty, and the market profits.

4.47

115k+

🏙️ Urban Poverty 🏚️ Housing Insecurity ✊ Racial Inequality

Evicted 92%

Poverty isn't the cause of eviction. Eviction is the cause of poverty, and the market profits.

by Matthew Desmond 2016

4.47

115k+ ratings

🏙️ Urban Poverty 🏚️ Housing Insecurity ✊ Racial Inequality

The New Urban Crisis

by Richard Florida • 2017

Why urban revival is driving inequality and pushing out the middle class.

3.49

1k+

🏙️ Urban Inequality 🏘️ Gentrification 📊 Economic Segregation

The New Urban Crisis 92%

Why urban revival is driving inequality and pushing out the middle class.

by Richard Florida 2017

3.49

1k+ ratings

🏙️ Urban Inequality 🏘️ Gentrification 📊 Economic Segregation

White Poverty

by William J. Barber II • 2024

America's poor are mostly white. The lie that says otherwise keeps the working class fractured.

4.28

719

🏚️ Systemic Poverty 🔗 Racial Division 💭 Poverty Myths

White Poverty 92%

America's poor are mostly white. The lie that says otherwise keeps the working class fractured.

by William J. Barber II 2024

4.28

719 ratings

🏚️ Systemic Poverty 🔗 Racial Division 💭 Poverty Myths

The Price of Civilization

by Jeffrey D. Sachs • 2010

What broke the American economy wasn't policy. It was a moral collapse at the top.

3.84

2k+

🏛️ Political Economy 📉 American Decline 🗽 Civic Decline

The Price of Civilization 92%

What broke the American economy wasn't policy. It was a moral collapse at the top.

by Jeffrey D. Sachs 2010

3.84

2k+ ratings

🏛️ Political Economy 📉 American Decline 🗽 Civic Decline

Can't Even

by Anne Helen Petersen • 2020

Millennial burnout is not a personal failure. It is the bill for decades of broken promises.

3.91

9k+

👥 Millennial Generation 🔥 Burnout 💸 Economic Precarity

Can't Even 92%

Millennial burnout is not a personal failure. It is the bill for decades of broken promises.

by Anne Helen Petersen 2020

3.91

9k+ ratings

👥 Millennial Generation 🔥 Burnout 💸 Economic Precarity

The Theft of a Decade

by Joseph C. Sternberg • 2019

The economy isn't broken for Millennials. It's working exactly as Boomer policy designed it to.

3.42

221

📊 Generational Economics 🎓 Student Debt Crisis 🏠 Housing Affordability

The Theft of a Decade 92%

The economy isn't broken for Millennials. It's working exactly as Boomer policy designed it to.

by Joseph C. Sternberg 2019

3.42

221 ratings

📊 Generational Economics 🎓 Student Debt Crisis 🏠 Housing Affordability

The Next America

by Paul Taylor • 2014

By 2033 the safety net runs dry. The generation expected to save it is already underwater.

3.67

697

🏛️ Generational Conflict 📊 Demographic Change 🏥 Social Safety Net

The Next America 92%

By 2033 the safety net runs dry. The generation expected to save it is already underwater.

by Paul Taylor 2014

3.67

697 ratings

🏛️ Generational Conflict 📊 Demographic Change 🏥 Social Safety Net

Is Your Work Worth It?

by Christopher Wong Michaelson • 2024

Your salary answers the wrong question. A philosopher's guide to what work is actually worth.

3.61

🧭 Meaningful Work 🪪 Work Identity 📞 Occupational Calling

Is Your Work Worth It? 91%

Your salary answers the wrong question. A philosopher's guide to what work is actually worth.

by Christopher Wong Michaelson 2024

3.61

82 ratings

🧭 Meaningful Work 🪪 Work Identity 📞 Occupational Calling

The Hamlet Fire

by Bryant Simon • 2020

A chicken plant fire killed 25. The doors were locked, but deregulation built the trap.

4.12

245

🏭 Labor History 🍗 Food Politics ⚠️ Workplace Safety

The Hamlet Fire 91%

A chicken plant fire killed 25. The doors were locked, but deregulation built the trap.

by Bryant Simon 2020

4.12

245 ratings

🏭 Labor History 🍗 Food Politics ⚠️ Workplace Safety

The Meritocracy Trap

by Daniel Markovits • 2019

The myth that talent determines success now drives inequality further than old money ever did.

3.83

2k+

🏦 Economic Inequality 🏠 Class In America 📊 Labor Market Polarization

The Meritocracy Trap 91%

The myth that talent determines success now drives inequality further than old money ever did.

by Daniel Markovits 2019

3.83

2k+ ratings

🏦 Economic Inequality 🏠 Class In America 📊 Labor Market Polarization

Where We Stand

by bell hooks • 2000

Feminism and antiracism won't succeed until they confront the thing they most ignore: class.

4.24

3k+

🤝 Intersectional Feminism 🏛️ Class Analysis ✊🏾 Black Feminism

Where We Stand 91%

Feminism and antiracism won't succeed until they confront the thing they most ignore: class.

by bell hooks 2000

4.24

3k+ ratings

🤝 Intersectional Feminism 🏛️ Class Analysis ✊🏾 Black Feminism

Pound Foolish

by Helaine Olen • 2012

The personal finance industry wants you anxious, not wealthy. Your worry is their business model.

3.67

2k+

🦈 Predatory Finance 🔍 Investigative Journalism 💥 Anti-Self-Help

Pound Foolish 91%

The personal finance industry wants you anxious, not wealthy. Your worry is their business model.

by Helaine Olen 2012

3.67

2k+ ratings

🦈 Predatory Finance 🔍 Investigative Journalism 💥 Anti-Self-Help

The New Human Rights Movement

by Peter Joseph • 2017

The economy is a well-oiled system of oppression. The case for rebuilding it, not fixing it.

4.33

625

🏛️ Political Economy ⚖️ Structural Inequality 🔗 Systems Thinking

The New Human Rights Movement 91%

The economy is a well-oiled system of oppression. The case for rebuilding it, not fixing it.

by Peter Joseph 2017

4.33

625 ratings

🏛️ Political Economy ⚖️ Structural Inequality 🔗 Systems Thinking

The Trouble with Diversity

by Walter Benn Michaels • 2006

The left traded class war for culture war, and the rich couldn't believe their luck.

3.59

516

🏛️ Class Politics 💸 Economic Inequality 🏷️ Identity Politics

The Trouble with Diversity 91%

The left traded class war for culture war, and the rich couldn't believe their luck.

by Walter Benn Michaels 2006

3.59

516 ratings

🏛️ Class Politics 💸 Economic Inequality 🏷️ Identity Politics

America

by Chris Hedges • 2018

Addiction, casinos, and the death of work: the symptoms of late capitalism's terminal stage.

4.23

3k+

🛒 Late Capitalism 🇺🇸 American Decline 💊 Opioid Crisis

America 91%

Addiction, casinos, and the death of work: the symptoms of late capitalism's terminal stage.

by Chris Hedges 2018

4.23

3k+ ratings

🛒 Late Capitalism 🇺🇸 American Decline 💊 Opioid Crisis

The Great Reset

by Richard Florida • 2010

Crashes rebuild how we live. Two gave us factories and suburbs. The third is remaking cities.

3.59

656

🏙️ Urban Economics 🗺️ Economic Geography 🏗️ Infrastructure

The Great Reset 91%

Crashes rebuild how we live. Two gave us factories and suburbs. The third is remaking cities.

by Richard Florida 2010

3.59

656 ratings

🏙️ Urban Economics 🗺️ Economic Geography 🏗️ Infrastructure

The Velvet Rope Economy

by Nelson D. Schwartz • 2020

From fast passes to private firefighters, a new tier of everything is carving society in two.

4.08

1k+

💰 Income Inequality 🏛️ Class Stratification ✨ Luxury Marketing

The Velvet Rope Economy 91%

From fast passes to private firefighters, a new tier of everything is carving society in two.

by Nelson D. Schwartz 2020

4.08

1k+ ratings

💰 Income Inequality 🏛️ Class Stratification ✨ Luxury Marketing

Factory Man

by Beth Macy • 2014

John Bassett III bet against offshoring. The survival of his Virginia town hung on it.

3.87

3k+

🏭 American Manufacturing 🌍 Globalization Impact 🏘️ Small Town America

Factory Man 91%

John Bassett III bet against offshoring. The survival of his Virginia town hung on it.

by Beth Macy 2014

3.87

3k+ ratings

🏭 American Manufacturing 🌍 Globalization Impact 🏘️ Small Town America

A World of Three Zeros

by Muhammad Yunus • 2017

Capitalism's missing piece: businesses that solve poverty, earn their keep, and pay zero dividend.

3.69

2k+

🏢 Social Entrepreneurship 💰 Microfinance ⚖️ Wealth Inequality

A World of Three Zeros 91%

Capitalism's missing piece: businesses that solve poverty, earn their keep, and pay zero dividend.

by Muhammad Yunus 2017

3.69

2k+ ratings

🏢 Social Entrepreneurship 💰 Microfinance ⚖️ Wealth Inequality

The Sharing Economy

by Arun Sundararajan • 2016

Trust between strangers, scaled by smartphones, is building an economy that sidesteps the firm.

3.66

491

🤝 Sharing Economy 🔌 Platform Economics 🚗 Gig Economy

The Sharing Economy 91%

Trust between strangers, scaled by smartphones, is building an economy that sidesteps the firm.

by Arun Sundararajan 2016

3.66

491 ratings

🤝 Sharing Economy 🔌 Platform Economics 🚗 Gig Economy

Democracy at Work

by Richard D. Wolff • 2012

Capitalism's crises are by design. The only fix: workers run the company.

3.95

2k+

🗳️ Workplace Democracy 🏛️ Economic Democracy 🌱 Post-Capitalism

Democracy at Work 91%

Capitalism's crises are by design. The only fix: workers run the company.

by Richard D. Wolff 2012

3.95

2k+ ratings

🗳️ Workplace Democracy 🏛️ Economic Democracy 🌱 Post-Capitalism

How to Kill a City

by Peter Moskowitz • 2017

Four cities, one playbook: policy and profit, not hipsters, push out the poor and replace them.

4.07

4k+

🏗️ Gentrification 🏠 Housing Policy 🧱 Racial Capitalism

How to Kill a City 91%

Four cities, one playbook: policy and profit, not hipsters, push out the poor and replace them.

by Peter Moskowitz 2017

4.07

4k+ ratings

🏗️ Gentrification 🏠 Housing Policy 🧱 Racial Capitalism

The Price of Inequality

by Joseph E. Stiglitz • 2012

Inequality isn't a market accident. The 1% rewrote the rules, and democracy is the casualty.

4.02

10k+

🏛️ Political Economy 📊 Economic Inequality 🎯 Rent-Seeking

The Price of Inequality 91%

Inequality isn't a market accident. The 1% rewrote the rules, and democracy is the casualty.

by Joseph E. Stiglitz 2012

4.02

10k+ ratings

🏛️ Political Economy 📊 Economic Inequality 🎯 Rent-Seeking

The Future of Work

by Darrell M. West • 2018

Automation threatens half of all jobs. Our safety nets were designed for a different economy.

3.47

203

🏭 Workforce Automation 📉 Job Displacement 🚗 Gig Economy

The Future of Work 91%

Automation threatens half of all jobs. Our safety nets were designed for a different economy.

by Darrell M. West 2018

3.47

203 ratings

🏭 Workforce Automation 📉 Job Displacement 🚗 Gig Economy

The Human Cost of Welfare

by Phil Harvey • 2016

Welfare was built to end poverty. Its rules punish work, marriage, and saving instead.

4.45

🏛️ Welfare Reform 📉 Anti-Poverty Policy 💼 Work Incentives

The Human Cost of Welfare 91%

Welfare was built to end poverty. Its rules punish work, marriage, and saving instead.

by Phil Harvey 2016

4.45

20 ratings

🏛️ Welfare Reform 📉 Anti-Poverty Policy 💼 Work Incentives

A Pelican Introduction

by Mike Savage • 2015

Three hidden currencies now define British class, and only one appears on a payslip.

4.06

546

🏛️ Class Analysis 🇬🇧 British Society 🎭 Cultural Capital

A Pelican Introduction 91%

Three hidden currencies now define British class, and only one appears on a payslip.

by Mike Savage 2015

4.06

546 ratings

🏛️ Class Analysis 🇬🇧 British Society 🎭 Cultural Capital

Invisible Child

by Andrea Elliott • 2021

Born homeless in Brooklyn, Dasani gets one shot: a boarding school that accepts one in ten.

4.70

20k+

🏙️ Urban Poverty 🛡️ Child Welfare 🔁 Intergenerational Poverty

Invisible Child 91%

Born homeless in Brooklyn, Dasani gets one shot: a boarding school that accepts one in ten.

by Andrea Elliott 2021

4.70

20k+ ratings

🏙️ Urban Poverty 🛡️ Child Welfare 🔁 Intergenerational Poverty

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