The best 25 Class books

1
Of Mice and Men

Of Mice and Men

John Steinbeck
The Dangers of the American Dream During the Great Depression
4.4 (20 ratings)

What's Of Mice and Men about?

Of Mice and Men (1937) is a poignant tale that traces an unlikely friendship between two impoverished workers in California during the Great Depression: compact, quick-witted George Milton, and huge, childlike Lennie Small.

Who should read Of Mice and Men?

  • Lovers of classic literature
  • Those entranced by the American dream
  • People curious about one of Steinbeck’s greats

2
Wuthering Heights

Wuthering Heights

Emily Brontë
A Passionate Tale of Revenge Fueled by Unfulfilled Love and Loss

What's Wuthering Heights about?

Wuthering Heights (1847) is a masterpiece of English literature. Set in Yorkshire, it tells the story of two families and their intense, often tumultuous relationships – in particular, the stormy romance between Heathcliff and Catherine.

Who should read Wuthering Heights?

  • Fans of family sagas
  • People drawn to unconventional love stories and antiheroes
  • Anyone interested in classic novels of the nineteenth century

3
Animal Farm

Animal Farm

George Orwell
A Political Satire on the Corrupting Influence of Power
4.8 (258 ratings)

What's Animal Farm about?

Animal Farm (1945) is a classic satirical novella that transplants the events of the Russian Revolution of 1917 to a small English farm. Once the animals stage an uprising, a political battle ensues between an ideological pig named Snowball and a power-hungry pig named Napoleon. 

Who should read Animal Farm?

  • Fans of political satire
  • Animal lovers
  • Anyone who likes a classic story

4
It’s OK to Be Angry About Capitalism

It’s OK to Be Angry About Capitalism

Bernie Sanders
What it Would Take to Change the Status Quo That Enriches Billionaires and Holds the Working Class Down
4.0 (244 ratings)

What's It’s OK to Be Angry About Capitalism about?

It’s OK to be Angry About Capitalism (2023) is a critique of the economic and political system in the US. It offers a blueprint on how to move past unbridled capitalism onto a fairer and freer future.

Who should read It’s OK to Be Angry About Capitalism?

  • Everyone interested in the idea of democratic socialism
  • Those who’d like to understand Bernie Sanders’s political agenda
  • Anyone concerned about inequality

5
Jane Eyre

Jane Eyre

Charlotte Brontë
A Victorian Heroine’s Struggle for Self-Realization
4.6 (18 ratings)

What's Jane Eyre about?

Jane Eyre (1874) is an intense, intimate portrait of a young woman’s search to find her place in Victorian society without compromising her passionate ideals. It follows her as she navigates life’s obstacles – and her developing love for the mysterious Edward Rochester.

Who should read Jane Eyre?

  • Hopeless romantics who crave plot twists and turns
  • History lovers keen to get a window into life as a nineteenth-century governess
  • Fans of period dramas like Outlander and Bridgerton

6
Slouching Towards Utopia

Slouching Towards Utopia

J. Bradford DeLong
An Economic History of the Twentieth Century
3.9 (31 ratings)

What's Slouching Towards Utopia about?

Slouching Towards Utopia (2022) examines the “long century” between 1870 and 2010, during which technological progress, globalization, and the advent of social democracy opened a new horizon of human progress. Barring the horror years of World Wars I and II, humanity seemed to be on a slow, uneven crawl toward utopia. But in 2010, the tables turned. Economic progress in the Global North ground to a halt. 

Who should read Slouching Towards Utopia?

  • History buffs
  • John Maynard Keynes fans
  • Anyone wondering how the world became so unequal

7
The Myth of American Inequality

The Myth of American Inequality

Phil Gramm
How Government Biases Policy Debate
4.0 (68 ratings)

What's The Myth of American Inequality about?

The Myth of American Inequality (2022) corrects widespread misconceptions about inequality in the United States. Taking aim at misleading official statistics, it shows that poverty has all but disappeared in today’s America and that the gap between rich and “poor” isn’t nearly as large as many people assume. 

Who should read The Myth of American Inequality?

  • Politicos and policymakers
  • Historians and economists
  • Anyone interested in contemporary debates about economic justice

8
A Rose for Emily

A Rose for Emily

William Faulkner
A Southern Gothic Tale on Death, Resistance to Change and Isolation
4.4 (14 ratings)

What's A Rose for Emily about?

A Rose for Emily (1930) was first published in Forum magazine. Told in a nonlinear style, it starts with the funeral of Emily, a fixture in the fictional Jefferson County. It then goes back in time to trace moments of her life, and the decline in her health and status. 

Who should read A Rose for Emily?

  • Faulkner fans
  • Lovers of Southern Gothic literature
  • Anyone curious to learn more about a complex classic

9
The Secret History

The Secret History

Donna Tartt
A Novel
4.8 (14 ratings)

What's The Secret History about?

The Secret History (1992) is the gripping tale of a group of Classics students at a New England college who are involved in the murder of a classmate. The novel explores the complex relationships between the friends, and the impact the incident has on their lives.

Who should read The Secret History?

  • People who enjoy psychological fiction
  • Fans of the “dark academia” genre
  • Anyone with an interest in Classics

10
We Were Liars

We Were Liars

E. Lockhart
A Suspense Novel About Family, Lies, and the Mistakes That Haunt Us
4.3 (12 ratings)

What's We Were Liars about?

We Were Liars (2014) is the suspenseful story of the wealthy, carefree Sinclair family and the tragic event that exposes the cracks in their perfect facade – as told by an unreliable narrator, Cadence Sinclair.

Who should read We Were Liars?

  • Lovers of suspenseful fiction and well-crafted romance
  • Anyone keen for a glimpse into the lives of the 1 percent
  • Avid readers who want the scoop on one of the best-loved young adult contemporary novels

11
The Age of Empathy

The Age of Empathy

Frans de Waal
Nature’s Lessons for a Kinder Society
4.2 (76 ratings)

What's The Age of Empathy about?

The Age of Empathy (2009) debunks popular theories which suggest that human nature is inherently selfish, cut-throat and prone to violence. Evidence provided by biology, history and science makes clear that cooperation, peace and empathy are qualities that are as natural and innate to us as our less desirable traits.

Who should read The Age of Empathy?

  • Anthropologists curious about human nature
  • Sociologists interested in our innate biological ability to bond with others
  • Students interested in how social science, politics, evolution and biology intersect

12
Evicted

Evicted

Matthew Desmond
Poverty and Profit in the American City
3.9 (45 ratings)

What's Evicted about?

Evicted (2016) tells the heartbreaking story of the individuals and families who struggle to get by in the United States’ poorest cities. Despite their best efforts, many of these people have fallen into a vicious cycle of poverty that has left them at the mercy of greedy property owners who don’t hesitate to evict families at the slightest provocation. To take a closer look at the details of their lives, we’ll focus on the inner city of Milwaukee and the tenants and landlords who populate this deeply segregated area.   

Who should read Evicted?

  • Sociologists
  • Students of urban planning and political science
  • Local politicians, leaders and policy makers

13
Women, Race & Class

Women, Race & Class

Angela Y. Davis
An Alternative View of the Feminist Struggle for Liberation
4.4 (128 ratings)

What's Women, Race & Class about?

Women, Race and Class (1981) is a collection of essays that expose how racism, sexism, and classism intertwined in the struggle for women’s suffrage in the United States. With special emphasis on the historical missteps of the mainstream feminist movement, it charts a path for an anti-racist and anti-classist feminism. 

Who should read Women, Race & Class?

  • Feminists looking to understand intersectionality more deeply
  • History buffs
  • Anyone invested in the ongoing struggle for justice

14
Empire of Pain

Empire of Pain

Patrick Radden Keefe
The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty
4.6 (53 ratings)

What's Empire of Pain about?

Empire of Pain (2021) follows the rise and fall of the elusive Sacklers, the billionaire family behind Purdue Pharma. Its blockbuster drug, OxyContin, was aggressively marketed as safe, but would go on to spur a devastating opioid crisis that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. Yet the Sacklers’ fortress of lawyers, political connections and a philanthropic name would, time and again, protect them from responsibility.

Who should read Empire of Pain?

  • Current affairs enthusiasts
  • Lovers of family dynasty dramas
  • Anyone wanting to understand the opioid crisis

15
The Death of Expertise

The Death of Expertise

Tom Nichols
The Campaign Against Established Knowledge and Why it Matters
4.3 (53 ratings)

What's The Death of Expertise about?

The Death of Expertise (2017) examines the current attacks on science and knowledge that seem to be on the rise in our current technological and political environment. What has happened to objective truths being the truth and facts being indisputable? Why is science now a matter of political partisanship? Find out what’s really going on and why this is one of the most important issues of our day.

Who should read The Death of Expertise?

  • Citizens looking for facts rather than political rhetoric
  • Readers concerned about fake news and misinformation
  • Students of political science and communications

16
Perversion of Justice

Perversion of Justice

Julie K. Brown
The Jeffrey Epstein Story
4.4 (27 ratings)

What's Perversion of Justice about?

Perversion of Justice (2021) reveals how a reporter for the Miami Herald broke the story behind Jeffrey Epstein’s sex crimes and the scandalous deal he got from the US justice system in 2008. It explains the history of the case, how the mysterious financier was able to escape justice for so long, and the important questions that remain unanswered.

Who should read Perversion of Justice?

  • Anyone curious how a serial sex offender can elude punishment
  • Fans of true crime investigations
  • People interested in the ongoing mystery behind Epstein and his accomplices

17
Dreamland

Dreamland

Sam Quinones
The True Tale of America’s Opiate Epidemic
4.4 (26 ratings)

What's Dreamland about?

Dreamland (2015) tells the story of how the opiate crisis in the United States went from being a problem only among social outcasts and the urban poor to one of the leading causes of accidental deaths in the country. The background and science of the crisis are rooted in socioeconomic factors that are distinctly American.

Who should read Dreamland?

  • Non-Americans left nonplussed by the United States’ opiate problem
  • Health care professionals
  • Policy wonks

18
Superior

Superior

Angela Saini
The Return of Race Science
4.2 (52 ratings)

What's Superior about?

Superior (2019) tracks the history of race science, from its origins in the Enlightenment to its hidden – but growing – presence in the twenty-first century. The uncomfortable truth is that science is not always apolitical, and the theory of biological race lives on in subtle ways, despite the mounting evidence against it. Groups of people might look, sound, and do things differently – but genetically, we’re very much the same. 

Who should read Superior?

  • Students of human biology, genetics, and anthropology
  • Anyone searching for the truth about the science of race
  • People of color and those considered minorities

19
The Broken Ladder

The Broken Ladder

Keith Payne
How Inequality Affects the Way We Think, Live, and Die
4.2 (57 ratings)

What's The Broken Ladder about?

The Broken Ladder (2017) explores the psychological, physical, and social ramifications of rising inequality. As the rich get richer, it powerfully demonstrates, everyone else feels poorer, regardless of material circumstances – with devastating consequences for all.

Who should read The Broken Ladder?

  • Social psychology
  • Anyone who wants to better understand inequality

20
Distinction

Distinction

Pierre Bourdieu
A Social Critique of the Judgement of Taste
4.6 (49 ratings)

What's Distinction about?

Distinction (1979) is widely considered one of the most important works of twentieth-century sociology. Drawing on extensive empirical research and developing many new concepts that have had a lasting impact on the social sciences, it puts forward a groundbreaking theory about the relationship between taste and class. 

Who should read Distinction?

  • Students of sociology 
  • Fans of French theory
  • Anyone interested in the underpinnings of class or taste

21
Strangers in Their Own Land

Strangers in Their Own Land

Arlie Russell Hochschild
Anger and Mourning on the American Right
3.8 (28 ratings)

What's Strangers in Their Own Land about?

Strangers in Their Own Land (2016) discusses the issues that divide American politics, with specific focus on the Tea Party of Louisiana. In the course of explaining how Louisiana ended up where it is today, the author encourages readers to empathize with disparate political stances.

Who should read Strangers in Their Own Land?

  • People interested in American society
  • Students of politics and sociology
  • Anyone interested in today’s political climate

22
Fast Food Nation

Fast Food Nation

Eric Schlosser
The Dark Side of the All-American Meal
4.2 (29 ratings)

What's Fast Food Nation about?

Fast Food Nation shows how the fast food industry has massive consequences on many other aspects of our lives, including our education, health and working conditions. The book reveals the terrible methods and working conditions – caused in great part by the fast food industry’s focus on profit – that are used to create our food.

Who should read Fast Food Nation?

  • Anyone who cares about their own health
  • Anyone who wants to understand the wide-reaching implications of a single industry
  • Anyone interested in human and animal rights

23
The Locust Effect

The Locust Effect

Gary A. Haugen and Victor Boutros
Why the End of Poverty Requires the End of Violence
4.5 (17 ratings)

What's The Locust Effect about?

The Locust Effect (2014) argues that foreign aid is only useful to developing countries if their impoverished citizens have protection from violence and crime. Without this, aid money is wasted because neither individuals nor businesses are safe to grow. Financial donations should aim to strengthen national criminal justice systems, so countries can serve themselves in the long run.

Who should read The Locust Effect?

  • Students of political science, international relations and foreign policy
  • Donors and sponsors looking to help the developing world
  • Anyone interested in global development

24
Wildland

Wildland

Evan Osnos
The Making of America's Fury
3.4 (33 ratings)

What's Wildland about?

Wildland (2021) recounts the story of how America became unraveled throughout the first two decades of the twenty-first century. Drawing on stories from residents of three US cities –⁠ Greenwich, Connecticut; Clarksburg, West Virginia; and Chicago, Illinois –⁠ it examines the undercurrents of change that tie together the fates of these varied landscapes. Finally, it describes how the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 laid the foundation for the violent insurrection on January 6, 2021. 

Who should read Wildland?

  • Americans trying to make sense of the changes in their country
  • Students of American politics and culture
  • Activists looking for a holistic picture of the grievances of average Americans

25
Gang Leader For A Day

Gang Leader For A Day

Sudhir Venkatesh
A Rogue Sociologist Crosses The Line
3.9 (15 ratings)

What's Gang Leader For A Day about?

Gang Leader For A Day is based on author Sudhir Venkatesh’s ten years of personal, in-depth research conducted on-site at the notorious Robert Taylor Homes public housing projects in Chicago. Ignored by city government and law enforcement, residents in the close-knit community rely only on local gangs and each other for basic services and social support.

Who should read Gang Leader For A Day?

  • Anyone interested in the influence of gangs in the United States
  • Anyone curious about what it takes to be a gang leader
  • Anyone interested in how poor communities are supported by underground economies

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