Michelle Tea - Without a Net: The Female Experience of Growing Up Working Class Live Girls Without a Net: The Female Experience of Growing Up Working Class Live GirlsPrice: » » Buy this Product @ Amazon.com « «
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Editorial ReviewsProduct Description While many recent books have thoughtfully examined the plight of the working poor in America, none of the authors of these books is able to claim a working-class background, and there are associated methodological and ethical concerns raised when most of the explicatory writing on how poverty affects women and girls is done by educated, upper-class journalists. It was these concerns that prompted indie icon Michelle Tea-whose memoir, The Chelsea Whistle, details her own working-class roots in gritty Chelsea, Massachusetts-to collect these fierce, honest, tender essays written by writers who can't go home to the suburbs when their assignment is over. These wide-ranging essays cover everything from stealing and selling blood to make ends meet; to "jumping" class; how if time equals money, then being poor means waiting; surviving and returning to the ghetto; and how feminine identity is shaped by poverty. Contributors include Dorothy Allison, Diane Di Prima, Terri Griffith, Daisy Hernandez, Frances Varian, Eileen Myles, Shawna Kenney, Siobhan Brooks, Terry Ryan, and more. Similar Products
Customer ReviewsSteury Said: Going back to my childhood. ( Feb. 27th 2008 ) Anyone who grew up struggling to make ends meet should read this book. Many of the stories had me transported back to my childhood in Lorain Ohio, in my own working class history. Great read. Psych Geek Said: Excellent Book ( Jul. 9th 2007 ) Very well written I would recommend it to anyone interested in the expericences of working class females. wildflowerboy Said: A depressing look at the feminization of poverty ( Apr. 21st 2006 ) Edited by the working-class lesbian feminist author and activist, Michelle Tea, "Without a Net" powerfully documents the diverse lives of women living in poverty. While this inclusive multi-narrative text dramatically testifies to the strength of low-income women in the United States, it fails, however, to provide any real collective strategy for female resistance to capitalist exploitation. Nevertheless, I applaud this book for holding the mainstream feminist movement accountable for its classism and insisting, once-and-for-all, that economic justice is integral to women's liberation. Feral Sirensong Said: I couldn't relate to all of this, but... ( Sep. 21st 2005 ) My parents divorced when I was 7 years old. My mother had primary custody. She was the first in her family to get a college education, even though she had to go back to night-school to finish her degree due to my arrival on the scene. Dad had a master's degree in social work, never a big money-making field. So, during my early years, we were fairly poor and I spent a whole lot of time with many different babysitters while Mom labored in the white-collar world to move us up from working class to middle class. I don't have many memories of my poor years. When I was 6 or 7, I do remember pretending a porcelain cat bought at a yard sale with my grandmother was actually a Barbie doll, because we couldn't afford a real Barbie at the time. But I was young and didn't really figure out that money was at all tight until middle school. Then the typical image-conscious BS became part of my existence. I always worked to make extra for school clothes, so I could keep up appearances. I had to have the "right" Levis. The "right" WBLM t-shirt. The L.L. Bean tote bag purse. I couldn't look like one of those Salvation Army rejects. Thrift stores were not cool where I came from, possibly because the racks were filled with redneck cast-offs. Kids can be so stupid. This book gave me a couple of "Aha!" moments, particularly when the contributors wrote about fish-out-of-water feelings when functioning within different social castes. Though I grew up working and then middle class, I went to a very upper class college. There were definitely times when I felt like I was "passing," as some authors put it. My upbringing remained a part of me, but not as some deep-seated shame. I felt power from my roots. It was nice to read about other women who also felt working class pride, pride in their survival skills and values. I could also relate to the sense of loss of those who felt somewhere in between their class of origin and their current economic class. You can't really go home again, after a certain point. Yet, you never feel like you fully belong where you are either. You have to create a place for yourself. And that's what a lot of these women write about: finding their place. Erin Hanki Said: Without a Net- Michelle Tea ( Sep. 2nd 2005 ) This is absolutely one of my favorite books- I've recommended it to everyone and so far no one's been disappointed, regardless of their gender or class background. Amazing book- raw and powerful, an inspiring collection of work. Many of the stories can be really painful or difficult to read, but altogether the collection leave a bold and positive impression of strength and beauty in unexpected (or overlooked) places. It's also a great introduction to a lot of kick-ass female writers that you might not be familiar with. |
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