3 Must-Read Working Class Memoirs

As a person from a working-class background here in America, I am well aware that there are a lot of misconceptions surrounding working class people. Far too often, media outlets paint working-class stories as just white, rural men wearing coveralls and hardhats. But in reality, working class people come from a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences. They’re the cashier at the Dollar Tree or the waitress at your local Waffle House. They’re DoorDash drivers and paper mill workers. 

But working class people rarely get to tell our own stories, and when we do, it’s usually people who have—against all odds—broken through barriers, gone to college, and have been deemed “acceptable” by society at large. Despite these barriers, working class people are still out here sharing our stories with the world. 

I love working-class memoirs and the strong narrative voices they bring. Over the course of a few hundred pages, we get to listen to someone tell their story in their own words. So if you are looking to read more stories like this, here are a few titles to get you started.

Men We Reaped: A Memoir by Jesmyn Ward In her critically acclaimed memoir, Jesmyn Ward shares how she lost five men in her life over the course of five years. These men—family and friends—were all facing systemic barriers, the racism and poverty that plague so much of America. Ward delves into why these men all died far too soon while also sharing glimpses into her own upbringing in the rural South.

Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth by Sarah Smarsh Heartland, a finalist for both the National Book Award and the Kirkus Prize, follows Sarah Smarsh as she grows up as the daughter of a single mom. They move from town to town across Kansas, and Smarsh wishes for a life where food and healthcare aren’t so scarce. As Smarsh tells us her story, she examines the broken safety nets for folks facing poverty in the richest country on earth.

The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio National Book Award finalist Karla Cornejo Villavicencio delves into the experience of undocumented Americans across the country. A recipient of DACA, Cornejo Villavicencio uses her own experience as a springboard to highlight the lives of other undocumented people—cab drivers, cleanup crews, natural healers, and more—trying to make a life for themselves in cities across the United States.

You can find me over on my substack Winchester Ave, over on Instagram @kdwinchester, on TikTok @kendrawinchester, or on my podcast Read Appalachia. As always, feel free to drop me a line at [email protected]. For even MORE bookish content, you can find my articles over on Book Riot.