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Getting By: Estates, Class and Culture in Austerity Britain Kindle Edition

by Lisa Mckenzie (Author), Danny Dorling (Introduction), Owen Jones (Afterword) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 out of 5 stars 90 ratings
While the 1% rule, poor neighbourhoods have become the subject of public concern and media scorn, blamed for society's ills. This unique book redresses the balance. Lisa Mckenzie lived on the St Ann’s estate in Nottingham for more than 20 years. Her ‘insider’ status enables us to hear the stories of its residents, often wary of outsiders. St Ann's has been stigmatised as a place where gangs, guns, drugs, single mothers and those unwilling or unable to make something of their lives reside. Yet in this same community we find strong, resourceful, ambitious people who are 'getting by', often with humour and despite facing brutal austerity.
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  1. Print length
    224 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Policy Press
  4. Publication date
    14 Jan. 2015
  5. File size
    2.8 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Product description

Review

"Who am I to pass comment on this book? But that's the trick they play on you isn't it. We are all used, processed, slashed, but the under class, the worker, well they are thoroughly abused." Jason Williamson, Sleaford Mods.

“A heart-wrenching, eminently readable, powerful book. This is class analysis at its most visceral and sensitive, uncovering incredibly resourceful survival strategies for staying human in conditions of incredible inhumanity." Bev Skeggs, Goldsmiths, University of London.

"Getting By is a moving portrait of stigma and inequality which illuminates how the people of St Ann's navigate through the architecture, institutions and prestige systems of estate life, and shows, powerfully, why we must put value at the centre of class analysis." Dr Tracey Jensen, University of East London.

"The stories within this book lay bare what it means to be regarded as inferior and an outcast in your own society. This is a resolutely impressive book written with authenticity and passion." Mary O'Hara, journalist and author of Austerity Bites.

"A very fine ethnography of life in austerity Britain, charting the resilience and creativity of the community it describes, as well as their injuries and mistreatment by others." John Holmwood, Professor of Sociology, University of Nottingham.

“As a child of St Ann’s and son of Jamaican immigrants, this is one of the most powerful celebrations of working-class and multi-cultural Britain I have ever read. I challenge you to read this book and not be ignited by a range of emotions such as sadness, anger, pleasure and joy. Read and enjoy. I did.” Donald Mclean, Vice-Principal, Longley Park Sixth Form College.

"A vivid, passionate account of class, gender and race in a stigmatised and poor working-class community, and a powerful defence of its people. Essential reading for 21st century Britain." Andrew Sayer, Professor of Social Theory and Political Economy, Lancaster University and author of Why we can't afford the rich.

“Getting By is an essential antidote to media and governmental depictions of poverty in the UK today. McKenzie transports the reader into realities, rather than the stigmatised hype, of council estate life. This accessible and moving account of how people ‘get by’ in conditions of heightened poverty and inequality draws throughout on the powerful voices of working class people themselves.” Imogen Tyler, Lancaster University & author of Revolting Subjects: Social Abjection and Resistance in Neoliberal Britain.

About the Author

Lisa Mckenzie is a research fellow at the London School of Economics in the Department of Sociology, working on issues of social inequality and class stratification through ethnographic research. Lisa brings an unusual and innovative approach to research by means of her extensive experience of bringing the academic world and local community together.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00R2YK3Z4
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Policy Press; 1st edition (14 Jan. 2015)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2.8 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 224 pages
  • Customer reviews:
    4.3 out of 5 stars 90 ratings

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
90 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book an interesting read with helpful analysis of British society. They appreciate its social history, with one customer noting its authentic portrayal of working class life. The book receives positive feedback for its integrity, with one review highlighting how the researcher's approach shines through.

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13 customers mention ‘Readability’13 positive0 negative

Customers find the book engaging and well-written, with one customer noting its thought-provoking content and another highlighting its first-class analysis.

"I loved this book, I come from a very similar background to the author and get tired of the boring, stereotypical portrayals of working class life..." Read more

"...This is one of the best and most helpful books I have read on living at the bottom end of the social scale - especially single mothers on benefits..." Read more

"...much to the reviews already posted, except to say that this book deserves to be read. And I hope it is." Read more

"...Rather, she presents narratives and highlights what is positive about the lives the estate dwellers have forged for themselves, their ability to '..." Read more

8 customers mention ‘Social history’8 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's analysis of British society, with one customer highlighting its authentic portrayal of working class life and strong sense of community.

"...I particularly enjoyed the social history of the area, and the way Ms McKenzie was able to show the culture and diversity of working class life, to..." Read more

"...It is also a good read - sociology without the jargon. where the integrity of the researcher shines through." Read more

"...demonization, she represents her subjects - her own people - fairly and with humanity. Their everyday frustrations and resilience are well described...." Read more

"...of her study, Lisa Mckenzie presents a compelling and authentic account of life on the St Ann's estate in Nottingham, and sets out to challenge..." Read more

3 customers mention ‘Integrity’3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the integrity of the book, with one review noting how the researcher's work shines through, while another mentions the delicate handling of the subject matter.

"...where the integrity of the researcher shines through." Read more

"...Their everyday frustrations and resilience are well described...." Read more

"...in Nottingham, deals with the difficult issues with bravely and delicately...." Read more

Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • Heather McEvoy
    5.0 out of 5 stars Honest and interesting account of working class life.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 February 2015
    Verified Purchase
    I loved this book, I come from a very similar background to the author and get tired of the boring, stereotypical portrayals of working class life and culture. It's refreshing to have an authentic working class voice describing the good, the bad and the ugly sides of council estate life. I particularly enjoyed the social history of the area, and the way Ms McKenzie was able to show the culture and diversity of working class life, to refute the middle class notions of an homogenised underclass, lacking in thought, creativity or imagination. The freedom and diversity of working class life can in fact be the inspiration for much of our best art, comedy, music and literature. Since the late 70's we have been sold the lie that the only aspiration working class people should have is an aspiration to middle class life, i.e. to a life of dull conformity with "respectability" as the key concern. It's wonderful to have such an antidote to the braying voices of the truly boring and self obsessed mass media.
    9 people found this helpful
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  • Evelyn R
    5.0 out of 5 stars This is one of the best and most helpful books I have read on living ...
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 29 January 2015
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    I am not an academic, but someone who works to contribute a lay voice to public health policy. This is one of the best and most helpful books I have read on living at the bottom end of the social scale - especially single mothers on benefits who are always seen as a "problem" but seldom have a voice which is heard. Their voices came through via Lisa McKenzie. Every politician, health visitor, social worker and local councillor should read this book. It is also a good read - sociology without the jargon. where the integrity of the researcher shines through.
    11 people found this helpful
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  • Mark Hammonds
    5.0 out of 5 stars A new Wigan Pier
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 February 2015
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    Although this is a study of just one estate, McKenzie speaks up for all those unfortunate enough to be poor in Britain today. Whilst examining their exclusion and demonization, she represents her subjects - her own people - fairly and with humanity. Their everyday frustrations and resilience are well described. But above all it is the waste of their human potential that is enough to make you weep. I can't add much to the reviews already posted, except to say that this book deserves to be read. And I hope it is.
    9 people found this helpful
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  • Heloyse
    4.0 out of 5 stars Its main strength is ultimately its greatest weakness
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 2 December 2015
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    As a long time resident of the estate which forms the subject of her study, Lisa Mckenzie presents a compelling and authentic account of life on the St Ann's estate in Nottingham, and sets out to challenge media assumptions about benefits claimants, and the stereotypes presented in TV programmes such as 'Benefits Street'.

    Mckenzie's premise is that, in response to being judged as valueless by the outside world, St Ann's residents have developed their own value culture to maintain both self-respect, and the respect of others on the estate - which enables them to survive in a dangerous and crime-ridden environment. In St Ann's, motherhood is prized, as is Jamaican culture; thus women gain status through mixed-heritage relationships and through bearing children by Jamaican fathers. White culture is seen as 'boring' and white men rank at the bottom of the estate's pecking order. The acquisition of traditional Jamaican home-making skills increases a woman's value as a partner.

    Many deprivations are taken for granted as part of life - such as the inability to receive delivery goods due to the poor planning of the estate's roads. The author's ties to St Ann's enable her to explore its subculture in great detail, through first hand accounts, and her basic argument that many elements of St Ann's life which may appear negative to the outsider are a natural response to its inhabitants' treatment by outsiders is convincing and well-made.

    Mckenzie notes that she agonised over her decision to report some elements of her research; it's to her credit that she did so despite these misgivings, but nonethless some of her justifications of "Benefits Street" style behaviour simply don't convince.

    The purchase of designer items by St Ann's residents as a valid means of cheering themselves up, for example, is compared to George Orwell's descriptions in 'The Road to Wigan Pier' of the poor consoling themselves with cups of sugared tea. However, Orwell was making the very different point that, when you're poor, cheap luxuries are a more understandable purchase than expensive but 'worthier' items - for instance, fish and chips are 'tastier' than healthy carrots and much cheaper than a nourishing joint of meat.

    Orwell described the purchase of a cheap suit that, at a distance, resembled one tailored in Savile Row - which seems more analogous to the modern day purchase of high street clothes from cheap fashion stores, than to the designer items worn by the St Ann's residents. Orwell's whole argument, in fact, centred on the chosen palliatives of the poor being cheap, so to use this to justify the purchase of, for instance, Gucci sunglasses misses Orwell's point entirely.

    There are further irritating oversights - Mckenzie describes the estate experience as "you live in a society that values high-branded and designer items ... but you are financially excluded from joining in' - which seems to assume that 'everyone else' can afford these items, whereas in fact they're out of reach for many who don't live on Council estates and who work full-time - why, then, are the estate dwellers seemingly entitled to this very expensive 'spoonful of sugar'?

    A mother on benefits is quoted saying "it's not feasible for me to go to work, I'd be killing myself ... getting someone to look after the kids ... trying to cook meals for everyone" - I couldn't read this without imagining a howl of frustration from the many working mothers who exhaust themselves juggling work and family responsibilities. Working life is not without its own complex subcultures - particularly for the working mother, who, in her family and community life may be subject to the same 'motherhood' value judgements as the St Ann's residents, and be found lacking through having to leave her children to work - and then at work, find herself, conversely, devalued by her status as a mother because her family responsibilities limit the hours she can work. Put simply, why should the St Ann's mothers uniquely be justified in exempting themselves at the expense of the state?

    The impression is given that Mckenzie has accepted such stories uncritically, probably because she is steeped in the estate's values - the paradox is that without her insider status, she would never have gained such frank access to the stories in the first place - the upshot is that, in many instances, Mckenzie unfortunately fuels the "Benefits Street" mentality when she is attempting to counter it - this uncritical acceptance, was, for me, the weakest but at the same time the most authentic aspect of the book.

    Mckenzie doesn't pretend to have a solution to the problems of St Ann's, or indeed, the wider problems of which this estate is symptomatic. Rather, she presents narratives and highlights what is positive about the lives the estate dwellers have forged for themselves, their ability to 'get by' no matter what injustices are thrown at them.

    My disagreement with some of Mckenzie's arguments doesn't alter my opinion that this is a compelling read; and while the outsider may see the flaws in the estate residents' perspective, it undoubtedly gives a fuller understanding of those perspectives and, in that respect, succeeds in its objectives.
    20 people found this helpful
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  • b.g.foster
    5.0 out of 5 stars What a cracker!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 March 2015
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    What a cracker! After all the bashing from the politicians and the media this book speaks passionately to the situation of the poor working class. A combination of narrative and theory, it stands in the academic and political world. Lisa McKenzie writes about the lives of folk on the council estate in Nottingham, deals with the difficult issues with bravely and delicately. I love the chapter 'Gucci glasses' which captures the contradictory way in which we all make decisions. Here's to St Ann's and all the 'fuckery' that surrounds them!
    5 people found this helpful
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  • The famous Eccles
    5.0 out of 5 stars Timely Comment.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 15 February 2016
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    Excellent and timely comment on today's social condition.
    Although this book is centred on St Anne estate in Nottingam. It applies with one or two exceptions to all social landlord tenants as far as I have witnessed.
    Cameron's conservative government is dishonest to the extreme and goes on misleading those wearing the conservative blinkers of arrogance, ignorance and conceit and are aided and abetted by the british right wing press and tv news programs.
    Blairs 'new labour', light blue conservative government were no better.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • The honest reviewer
    5.0 out of 5 stars a great read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 December 2019
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    A great read and a real insight into the communities within the UK
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