Book review: Inequality and the 1% – Danny Dorling (2014)

Author and geographer Danny Dorling sets outs to find out how much of an issue inequality really is in the UK today and asks how it impacts on society in Inequality and the 1%.

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The book argues that inequality is about more than just economies, that it is a culture that divides the population and make social mobility impossible. Being born out of the wealthiest 1% can have profound impacts on a person’s life, from reducing life expectancy to harming education and working prospects.

Dorling takes a look at how the lives of the 1% affects everybody else in the UK and describes the findings as “shocking”. The results are laid out using illustrations and infographics to clearly present the data and demonstrate the author’s argument that the gap between the haves and the have nots is just too wide.

Writing in the Guardian to promote the book, Dorling outlines ten “shocking facts” about inequality, including that in the last 15 years, inequality has spiralled. He notes that if the national minimum wage had kept pace with FTSE 100 CEO salaries since 1999, it would now be £18.89 instead of £6.50.

The list gives an interesting insight into what the book has to offer and the range of areas the author touches upon.