Ms. Veselka is a former labor organizer and the author of the novels “The Great Offshore Grounds” and “Zazen.” This essay is part of Times Opinion’s Fortunes series on the psychology of class. I first ...

I’ve become something of a connoisseur of blood donation, especially plasma donation. That’s because my life depends on it. Nearly 20 years ago, when I was just out of college and beginning my career ...