Book Review: Steven Roberts: Young Working-Class Men in Transition

Drawing on the experiences of young working-class men in transition, this insightful book portrays and discusses the changing world of masculinities within the South-East of England. The book raises questions, and contests existing discourses, in regards to contemporary working-class masculinities. It does this by presenting interviews from a seven year (broadly) ethnographic study of the ‘missing middle’ - or young men engaged in education and work but not successful in either - to document shifts that are occurring in relation to how (these) young men construct and understand masculinity – as well as the hidden inequalities which may follow from this. The author, Steven Roberts, skilfully critiques previous studies of masculinity while providing a nuanced analysis of how these working-class men circumnavigate their transitions into adulthood. The book’s central contribution lies in challenging the stagnant portrayals of young, working-class men in the academy, and English society.