"Isn't That Rich?" Life Among the 1%," by Richard Kirshenbaum

Because of my scholarly interest in social class issues (I have spoken about these matters at academic conferences and published about them in academic journals and as chapters in books), I am always on the lookout for related books, whether scholarly or popular. “Isn’t That Rich? Life Among the 1%” (Open Road, 2015), by Richard Kirshenbaum, is decidedly of the latter type (popular). Kirschenbaum is in Advertising and is also an author; the essays in this book are taken from his New York Observer column about the lives of the rich and famous in New York City. He appears to mingle freely with many of these, and writes with what appears to be inside knowledge and authority, as well as with humor. He (wisely!) mostly doesn’t name names, but uses aliases for his examples and informants, such as Master of the Universe, Chic Brunette Heiress, International Playboy Posse, and Our Lady of the East River. His tone is diplomatic, fond, and bemused (but very aware) rather than sharply critical or mocking. In fact, he takes a sort of faux-anthropological perspective on the New York one percent. His writing is lively and his examples are entertaining (although sometimes it is hard to deal with the excessive behavior that goes with excessive wealth in some cases). His topics include marriages of rich people, divorces, nannies and drivers, exclusive private schools, art collecting, “paid friends,” restaurants and food, charity events and other parties, the Hamptons, the Upper East Side, international travel to the most fashionable places in Europe and elsewhere, “social climb-overs” (using one rich friend to meet a new, probably even richer, friend), and “the reverse brag.” Although the world of the richest New Yorkers isn’t directly connected with my academic topic (wealthy and well-traveled international students in the United States, and the implications of having many such students at U.S. universities), this book contributes overall context. And, I must admit, it is fun to read, if somewhat horrifying at times; it definitely sets off alarms and offends my political/social belief in more equality and a much smaller gap between the rich and the poor. So I read it not knowing if I should feel guilty when I was amused and entertained. It is a good thing that I can (honestly) tell you (readers of this blog) that my excuse for reading the book is that it informs my academic research!