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Class: A Guide Through the American Status System

Class: A Guide Through the American Status System by Paul Fussell

by Paul Fussell

Shares rank 91 of 152 nonfiction books by recommenders

People recommend it as an interesting read and an excellent reference on the American status system.

People recommend it as an interesting read and an excellent reference on the American status system.

3 people gave an opinion

recommend it
3
criticize it
0
approval share
100%
Each figure is one person. RecommendsCriticizes

Recommended in 3 of 13 months

  1. November 2025: recommended
  2. December 2025: not recommended
  3. January 2026: not recommended
  4. February 2026: not recommended
  5. March 2026: not recommended
  6. April 2026: recommended
  7. May 2026: not recommended
  8. June 2026: not recommended
  9. July 2026: recommended
  10. August 2026: not recommended
  11. September 2026: not recommended
  12. October 2026: not recommended
  13. November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)

Why it doesn’t carry the badge

  • 3 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
  • Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
  • Recommended in 3 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.

The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works

What people say about it

The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.

Why people recommend it

Each mark is one comment

  • Interesting read

    “Paul Fussel’s Class was an interesting read”

    Comment from 3 Apr 2026 in “Marc Andreessen is wrong about introspection”
  • Excellent reference on status

    “is an excellent reference”

    Comment from 31 Jul 2026 in “Why ugly buildings create NIMBYism”

Other nonfiction books people recommend

The four most recommended other nonfiction books, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.

Class: A Guide Through the American Status System by Paul Fussell compared with 4 alternatives
ProductRecommendCriticizeApprovalMonthsOwnedBadge
The Cuckoo's Eggby Clifford Stoll400100%8—Approved
Amusing Ourselves to Deathby Neil Postman360100%91 yr3 ownersApproved
The Anxious Generationby Jonathan Haidt241267%10—Approved
Bullshit Jobsby David Graeber201263%8——
Class: A Guide Through the American Status Systemby Paul FussellThis page30100%3——
See all 152 nonfiction books, ranked

What people said

2 of the 3 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.

“is an excellent reference”

RecommendsComment from 31 Jul 2026 in “Why ugly buildings create NIMBYism”

“Paul Fussel’s Class was an interesting read”

RecommendsComment from 3 Apr 2026 in “Marc Andreessen is wrong about introspection”

Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.