Paperback: Broke by David Boyle (4th Estate, £8.99)

Are you middle-class? “I am myself middle-class. I admit it,” says David Boyle, and if you’re middle-class, there is endless interesting stuff in this book for you.

Boyle has written well on many subjects, including maths, money, and the concept of authenticity.

Here he explains what he calls the “middle-class crisis” — and he’s spot on.

The middle classes, he says, stand for “independence and learning for its own sake — and the need to sacrifice wealth and well-being to achieve it”. And now they and their values are effectively being priced out of the market.