The Stories We’re Not Telling: Why Representation of the Working Class Still Matters
- Tanya Madsen
- Jul 19
- 4 min read
I have a confession. Some days, the state of the world feels so bleak that I catch myself
wishing something dramatic would shake society awake. Something that would force us to confront the widening gulf between the haves and the have-nots. The United States is one of the wealthiest nations on the planet, yet millions of people struggle just to survive. It’s heartbreaking, and yes, it makes me angry.
Recently, I read a thread on Threads about the direct correlation between privilege and
success in self‑publishing. Hundreds of commenters openly acknowledged their privilege. The advantages that helped them build their author careers. Spouses who covered the bills, inherited homes, trust funds, financial cushions that allowed them to write without fear. They weren’t ashamed of it; they simply recognized that privilege played a role.
I’ve seen this dynamic my entire life. I grew up poor. Not the kind of poor that comes with government assistance, but the kind where pride kept us from seeking help. From the age of eleven, I bought everything I needed with babysitting money: underwear, school supplies, the basics.
I married young. A knee-jerk reaction to
childhood trauma is to run like hell to escape it. By nineteen, I was married and pregnant, and the struggle to survive stretched on for years. There was a period when my husband and I donated plasma twice a week just to afford groceries. Thirty dollars bought three days' worth of food for our four children: mac and cheese, milk, bread, apples, Cheerios and peanut butter. We made too much income to qualify for assistance and fell into the black hole of the working poor. The people who live paycheck to paycheck with no safety net and no margin for error.
That’s why it stings when people say things like, “Just invest,” or “Be smarter with your money,” or “Success is a choice.” These comments almost always come from people who have never lived without a financial cushion. They don’t understand what it means to be one crisis away from disaster.
And you can see privilege reflected in the books that dominate the market. So many stories feel disconnected from reality—glamorous, glossy, aspirational worlds with no trace of the struggles most people face. The poor rarely see themselves represented in politics, business, entertainment, or literature. There are exceptions, of course, but they are not the mainstream. Poverty shortens lives, limits opportunities, and shapes futures in ways that are rarely acknowledged.
I can’t speak for everyone who has struggled, but I can speak for myself. I am passionate about representing the poor, the underserved, the trauma survivors, the people who carry invisible wounds. I refuse to write fluff when the world desperately needs stories with depth and honesty.
So I keep writing. I keep trying to reach people with my books. I’m not privileged. I’ve worked full‑time for over twenty years. I live with an expensive autoimmune disease. I’ll probably still be paying off my student loans when I retire. But I believe in telling the stories that aren’t being told. The ones that reflect the reality of most people’s lives.
And honestly, I’m exhausted by the endless stream of books about billionaires, mob bosses, trust fund heirs, celebrities, and all the rest of the wealthy class. I’m tired of seeing the same fantasies recycled over and over. Why aren’t we telling our stories? Why are we filling the world with narratives that ignore the majority of the population? Is this really the legacy we want for the twenty‑first century?
My stories aren’t profound. They’re simple, slow‑burn dramas about people surviving each other and surviving life. But they’re real. They’re honest. They’re mine. And if I never make a cent from writing, that’s fine. I’ve been broke most of my life. I know how to survive. What matters is that someone is out there speaking their truth.
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Book Four of the Somewhere Aching Series, "A Karma to Kill For," is soon to be released in September 2026. If you are interested in joining my ARC circle — a small group of readers who get early access to my upcoming books — you can read Book 4 ahead of release and share your thoughts on Goodreads whenever you’re ready. No deadlines, no pressure — just stories and early access.
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