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Staff Pick
I will trust no other authority on personal finance over Madeline Pendleton from this point forward. I can't believe I found hope in a business book in the year 2023. Madeline has ventured inside the belly of the beast and returned with real advice on how to navigate finance and prepare yourself for a future in a world that has made it nearly impossible to have one. Recommended By Stacy W., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
A big-hearted, no-bullshit memoir from the TikTok superstar about her journey from living paycheck to paycheck to creating a multi-million-dollar business that offers a compassionate alternative to capitalism — plus no-nonsense life and money advice, from negotiating pay and building credit to putting home ownership within reach
Imagine a job where you work four days a week and earn as much as the CEO. You also get full benefits, a gym membership, free lunch, and unlimited time off, no questions asked. Hard-won profits don't just end up in the CEO's pocket — they're distributed equally among all employees. The company even buys you your very own car. It sounds too good to be true, but this is the reality at Tunnel Vision, the clothing company that Madeline Pendleton built from the ground up.
Like so many Americans, Madeline used to struggle to make ends meet. Raised by a punk dad and a goth mom in Fresno, California, she spent her teens intermittently homeless, relying on the kindness and spare couches of the local punk community to get by. By her twenties, she was drowning in student loans and credit card debt, working long hours and sick of her bosses treating her as disposable. Then her boyfriend, struggling with financial stress, died by suicide. Capitalism was literally killing her loved ones — she knew there must be a better way.
Madeline decided to study the rules of capitalism, the game everyone is forced to play. She used what she learned to build a new kind of business, one rooted in an ethos of community care.
Millennials and Gen Zers like Madeline are facing an unprecedented financial reality: Stagnant wages, skyrocketing housing costs, a student debt crisis. I Survived Capitalism is essential reading for anyone searching for hope and stability in an unjust world.
Review
"With punk optimism, cinematic storytelling, and a moral center undeterred by what 'everyone else does,' this book presents the life and death money scenarios real people face. Madeline covers class, college recruiting, home ownership, and workplace rights with a brilliant sense of community and warmth."
Gabe Dunn, podcast host and author of Bad with Money
Review
"Madeline's life is unique yet wildly relatable for Millennials. Readers will be thoroughly engaged, as every hardship comes with a lesson that Madeline skillfully shares with us. A thought-provoking, mind-tingling reading experience."
Mercury Stardust, the Trans Handy Ma'am and author of Safe and Sound
Review
"A witty and profound commentary on navigating the harsh terrain of poverty, inequality, class, and an oftentimes unforgiving, unfair financial system that all of us are forced to participate in. Drawing on her rich personal experiences and hard-won financial lessons, Pendleton's path to financial stability is inspiring. This book is a transformative call to action to build a better, more just, equitable world."
Paco de Leon, host of the Weird Finance podcast and author of Finance for the People
About the Author
Madeline Pendleton is the CEO and founder of Tunnel Vision, an L.A.-based clothing company with a progressive, employee-centered approach to business. In addition to her entrepreneurial success, Madeline has garnered a massive following on TikTok, where she shares stories and advice based on her experience growing up in California's punk scene, escaping poverty, and building a community-minded company.