Underdogs

£10.99

Who are the white working class and why are they so misunderstood? Economist journalist Joel Budd has spent five years investigating their stories. This is what they have to say.

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Scheduled for publication on 14th May, 2026
The book will be available on or after this date. If you would like to preorder a copy, we will notify you when it is ready to collect.

SKU: 9781035015160 Category: Tag: Publisher/imprint : Picador
Page count : 240
Published on 14th May, 2026

Description

‘Essential reading’ The Daily Telegraph
‘Not just well timed but admirably powerful’ The Guardian
‘Packed with revealing content’ Independent

Underdogs is a surprising journey into the heart of the misunderstood white working class. And it might just change how you see Britain.
Brexit helped to turn the white working class into a social and political force, but in its aftermath one-third of the population has been reduced to a caricature. Portrayed as angry and hostile to change, as xenophobic, even racist, it’s a tired narrative favoured by both politicians and the press. The truth is far more compelling.

In Underdogs, Economist journalist Joel Budd takes us across the UK, from Teesside to the Isle of Wight, from the Valleys of South Wales to the fields of Lincolnshire, talking with a diverse group of people about their jobs, their families and neighbourhoods, their struggles and hopes.

Offering an eye-opening corrective to the familiar stereotype, Budd shows that white working- class people are not just grumbling about the transformation of Britain. Instead, with warmth and determination, they are pushing the country forward.

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Dimensions 19.7 × 13 cm
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