Rémy Reads: I Survived Capitalism and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt

This had been on my to-read list for a few months. I had seen her in passing on the TikTok giving insightful advice on how to buy a house. Sometime later, a mutual who is also a small business owner and artist mentioned the memoir on their story and I responded with my desire to check it out.

I realized that while I do listen to informative podcasts often, I prefer fiction or memoir as my audiobook of choice since I usually listen while I work and can't take notes. This book felt right to listen to.

Who is Madeline Pendleton? I'd say she is most famous for running a business where everyone, including herself, is paid the same salary, and mental and financial health is openly discussed. However, most importantly, she was a young girl from Fresno, California who didn't understand why people made her town and her neighbors the butt of the joke. The quick answer is capitalism and individualism; It's just so funny when systems make populations financially unstable with no easy way out of it.

Pendleton tells a story that includes childhood homelessness, getting out of Fresno, surviving for-profit college, paying down her many debts, and starting her own clothing business while not letting that turn her into a capitalist shill. In between the chapters detailing her life are tips about buying a car, saving money, and changing the world, among others. All the advice was realistic, kind, and affirming. She is a millennial punk after all.

There's not more to say without spoiling everything. I highly recommend it. Genuine, heartbreaking, inspiring, and approachable. The world is becoming anew as each second passes. However, we do need to help ourselves and each other while this is happening. We do live in a late stage capitalist society.