As David K. Shipler makes clear in this powerful, humane study, the invisible poor are engaged in the activity most respected in American ideology—...
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Nov 15, 2007
Dan
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I often get into discussions with my father-in-law about the state of the nation, problems facing workers and companies, and especially the role of the government. My father-in-law will often say the phrase, "People just need to work harder" in response to my queries about how to get people out of poverty or dead-end jobs. Well, I heard that phrase one too many times, so I decided to read David Shipler's book to find out if this "American Dream" is as easy to do as it sound
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Dec 15, 2007
Alison
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The guy at Barnes & Nobles, where I was trading in a complete Shakespeare, which I already had, for this, which I didn't, told me that this was a great book because it shifted some blame for the problems of the poor onto the poor, thus holding them accountable and providing room for personal responsibility. I had already fought with the guy once, which was why I held my tongue this time and didn't mention that he was hardly making a compelling case to me. So for a long time, I didn't actually
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Jul 31, 2008
sleeps9hours
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Summary: Poverty is caused by complex interactions between personal and societal/business/governmental failures. The poor are affected more strongly by small mistakes/misfortunes that snowball due to lack of safety net.
The most heinous problems to me were sexual abuse/domestic violence.
p. 162 At the extremes of the debate, liberals don’t want to see the dysfunctional family, and conservatives want to see nothing else. Depending on the ideology, destructive parenting is ei More...
The most heinous problems to me were sexual abuse/domestic violence.
p. 162 At the extremes of the debate, liberals don’t want to see the dysfunctional family, and conservatives want to see nothing else. Depending on the ideology, destructive parenting is ei More...
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Feb 05, 2009
"Nobody who works hard should be poor in America," writes Pulitzer Prize-winning author Shipler. Few would disagree with that statement, yet even fewer would agree on how to reduce the factors that cause poverty in America. Presenting individual case studies, Shipler exposes the vicious social and economic injustices that define the working poor. (How can you buy false teeth if you don't have a job? But how can you get a job without teeth?) At times, he lets his frustration get the bet
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Nov 30, 2008
Crawfords444
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Although written in 2004, this book tells it like it really is. There are good tips to ge gleaned for persons downsizing their budget in these difficult times.
The book "tells it like it is" with a healthy dose of realism, especially the chapter on the schools. I spent a year in rural Mississippi, a year and a half in rural west Tennessee and eight years in the intercity public schools. My students and parents fit the descriptions of the "middle class working p More...
The book "tells it like it is" with a healthy dose of realism, especially the chapter on the schools. I spent a year in rural Mississippi, a year and a half in rural west Tennessee and eight years in the intercity public schools. My students and parents fit the descriptions of the "middle class working p More...
Jun 13, 2011
Angela
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As David K. Shipler makes clear in this study, the invisible poor are engaged in the activity most respected in American ideology - hard, honest work. But their version of the American Dream is a nightmare: low paying, dead-end jobs; the profound failure of government to improve upon decaying housing, health care, and education; the failure of families to break the patterns of child abuse and substance abuse. Shipler exposes the interlocking, problems by taking us into the sorrowful, infuriating
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Aug 22, 2010
Kendra
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Shipler chronicles the lives and stories of the working poor, examining the interconnected challenges of health, education, community, abuse, hunger, finances and addiction that keep many marginalized individuals at the edge of society. He highlights holistic program approaches that integrate resources to maximize impact, including a medical clinic that employs social workers and lawyers to better advocate for clients. In addition, Shipler exposes the broken systems of public and private assis
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Aug 10, 2010
Constance
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okay, maybe i shouldn't even be adding this book because i barely read five pages of it before i had to put it down. to give background, one of the things on my list of things to do is to read a book about poverty to better inform my job. i found this one through jj smith (to be clear, he had not read it), but let me tell you, john j and everyone else, i don't like this book in the slightest. first, to be an asshole, it doesn't tell me anything i don't already know through work and newspapers
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Sep 12, 2009
Joe
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This books describes typical situations of people that are working, but are still poor, and talks about many related issues: how people get into that situation, how many people get out of it and how that happens, and how we can reduce the amount of that in the future.
The idea that people in America can pull themselves up by their bootstraps is attractive to most of us. A lot of people view that as the essential American story. Unfortunately, the reality is that it's a pretty rare eve More...
The idea that people in America can pull themselves up by their bootstraps is attractive to most of us. A lot of people view that as the essential American story. Unfortunately, the reality is that it's a pretty rare eve More...
Aug 05, 2010
Megan
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My favorite quote: "Workers at the edge of poverty are essential to America’s prosperity, but their well-being is not treated as an integral part of the whole. Instead, the forgotten wage a daily struggle to keep themselves from falling over the cliff. It is time to be ashamed."
I thought the perspective Shipler had was fairly balanced between blaming/pointing at circumstances that are not necessarily the working poor's fault (i.e. attending a poorly funded public school wit More...
I thought the perspective Shipler had was fairly balanced between blaming/pointing at circumstances that are not necessarily the working poor's fault (i.e. attending a poorly funded public school wit More...
Mar 02, 2011
David
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Although there weren't any astonishing revelations (and I'm not sure that's even possible with this subject matter) the author did an excellent job of conveying the fragile interrelationships between education, housing, health, upbringing, transportation, health insurance (etc.) and how one problem can trigger a devastating financial setback. He writes, "For practically every family, then, the ingredients of poverty are part financial and part psychological, part personal and part social,
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May 06, 2008
Hannah
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Wow. Picks up where Nickel and Dimed left off--a far-reaching critique of both liberal and conservative approaches to poverty reduction and a comprehensive look at the diversity of the working poor in America. If you're into Project Runway (come on, fashionista policy wonks, I know you're out there), the section on the political economy of the fashion industry is especially fresh and fascinating.
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Mar 26, 2011
Adam A.
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The beauty of "The Working Poor" is in its refusal to simplify a subject as complex as poverty. David K. Shipler illustrates the interconnectedness of the many causes and symptoms of poverty. Rather than propose a panacea to cure poverty, Shipler acknowledges the need for personal responsibility and social safety nets, public policy and private charity, welfare programs and private markets.[return][return]Shipler can, but needn't necessarily, be read as a companion to Thomas L. Friedma
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Oct 18, 2010
Deborah
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BOOK CRITIQUE FOR CLASS ASSIGNMENT:
In 1997, while many Americans appeared to be enjoying the benefits of a soaring economy, author David K. Shipler was on a quest to unveil a faction of society that was hidden in plain sight, America’s working poor. Shipler set out to bring to light the forgotten America, those living at or under the federal government’s official poverty line, employed yet still struggling to survive, day by day. In hopes of vanquishing the invisibility cloak that obscured More...
In 1997, while many Americans appeared to be enjoying the benefits of a soaring economy, author David K. Shipler was on a quest to unveil a faction of society that was hidden in plain sight, America’s working poor. Shipler set out to bring to light the forgotten America, those living at or under the federal government’s official poverty line, employed yet still struggling to survive, day by day. In hopes of vanquishing the invisibility cloak that obscured More...
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Oct 04, 2009
Chrissie
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Particularly interesting in its details.. Shipler follows individuals in their daily struggles and obviously kept in touch over time. The sympathetic voice from which he writes sets an overarching emotion that is a bit distracting at times. Maybe it is necessary, so that you truly dig into the policies behind poverty and welfare, but I'm not sure. The last chapters are the best, with down-to-earth dissections of different methodologies and policies that can and may change the way the chips f
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Jul 09, 2011
Abby
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this is a very good book to read if you know a little about the policy problems facing the working poor and want to get a better idea of the human stories of people affected by them, or if you don't know anything about the daily lives of the working poor and need a good illustration of the thicket of problems trapping them in poverty.
however, if you are looking for a systemic analysis of which policies and procedures create this poverty trap and perpetuate these conditions, this is n More...
however, if you are looking for a systemic analysis of which policies and procedures create this poverty trap and perpetuate these conditions, this is n More...
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Sep 18, 2009
Hope
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This book is essential reading for those working in poverty law or with lower income people in any field. It is very well-written with raw, honest and compelling stories of individuals from all walks of life. David Shipley explores the intersecting causes and effects of poverty including health, low wages in dead-end jobs, lack of job training/skills, failing schools, poorly administered government and non-profit programs that only address a piece of the problem, and misunderstanding by those in
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Feb 12, 2009
Nikki
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I'm reading this book for our church's "Windows on Poverty" adult education series, which will include a play about and by homeless people, lectures and book discussion. I think this was a good choice for the book. The past two years, focusing first on War and Peace and then on Islam, we read novels (March and The Girl in the Tangerine Scarf). But I can't think of a novel that would have covered the diversity of poverty in America the way this book did. One thing I believe will be espe
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Nov 25, 2010
Tom
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If you don't know much about poverty, this book may prove useful to you, but go in with eyes open. Shipler is at his best when he's letting the poor folks he speaks to speak for themselves. However, he is very much a liberal, and while he's talking with poor people we also get sympathetic interviews with bosses, managers, job trainers, "tough love" social workers, and the like. He praises people who shape themselves (and allow themselves to be shaped) into well-behaved, obedient worker
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Jun 30, 2010
Lawrence
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David Shipler has written an unforgettable book about the lives of the working poor. His insights provide a true window on the lives of the less fortunate, where a ten dollar bill is a real event. A true eyeopener. I have read segments of it to my business classes. It should be required reading for all high school and college students to blast them into the realm of reality by seeing how narrow a band can separate them from being a have or a have not, by how much education and training they moti
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Mar 29, 2009
Brianna
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I appreciated that this book was sympathetic but realistic about people in poverty. And I remember the desperate need to splurge on something (eating out at a fast food restaurant, renting movies, whatever) for a momentary pick-me-up when you can't afford to fix your washing machine.
I recommend this book to pretty much everyone. I certainly know a handful of co-workers who could benefit from holding judgment until they've walked in someone else's shoes.
This book details More...
I recommend this book to pretty much everyone. I certainly know a handful of co-workers who could benefit from holding judgment until they've walked in someone else's shoes.
This book details More...
Nov 14, 2011
Bebe
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This should be a must read in every sociology class, economics class, psychology class, us history class etc. It really hits home about how so much contributes to poverty in this country. Working Poor should be an oxymoron and yet there are so many people in this situation. It's truly heartbreaking and frightening how close so many of us are to being in that situation. Just one bad turn of the dice can send you reeling as many of us know now in this current recession. A well told collection
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May 23, 2011
Merseydotes
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I thought this was thought-provoking and informative. The main points I took away from the book were (1) much of job training focuses on hard skills but many people need soft skills training to teach them punctuality, appearance, interpersonal communication, etc, (2) how thin the margins are for the working poor and how one or two small mishaps can snowball into disastrous consequences very easily and (3) the vital role of business in getting people working again. I really thought the finale c
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Dec 19, 2010
Larry
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David K. Shipler won a Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction in 1987 for Arab and Jew: Wounded Spirits in a Promised Land. He therefore gets the appellation of Good Writer.
Like Lillian Rubin, Shipler makes the sources of his observations clear with his numerous and detailed life stories. Since Rubin was a sociologist, I call her writings like Just Friends The Role of Friendship in Our Lives and Intimate Strangers Men and Women Together qualitative studies based on numerous in depth i More...
Like Lillian Rubin, Shipler makes the sources of his observations clear with his numerous and detailed life stories. Since Rubin was a sociologist, I call her writings like Just Friends The Role of Friendship in Our Lives and Intimate Strangers Men and Women Together qualitative studies based on numerous in depth i More...
Jan 15, 2011
Libby
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Really fabulous. Reminded me of two of my favorite books - Noonday Demon and Poor People, except less explicitly subjective.
p.129
Quoting Ann Brash "People who don't call when they can't come to work probably don't think they're important enough to matter," she explained simple. "It's more than low self-esteem. It's invisibility." ... The boss can't possibly care whether or not you're there. Only with dramatic steps can such lack of self regard be countered, as More...
p.129
Quoting Ann Brash "People who don't call when they can't come to work probably don't think they're important enough to matter," she explained simple. "It's more than low self-esteem. It's invisibility." ... The boss can't possibly care whether or not you're there. Only with dramatic steps can such lack of self regard be countered, as More...
Oct 26, 2008
Will
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This is a depressing account of many individuals who are afflicted with poverty and are, with exceptions, unable to escape. The book provides considerable ammunition for the view that the poor are kept there by an uncaring and hostile society. From the tales and analyses emerge nuggets of potential policy directions. For instance, there is attention given to the disparity in spending for schooling based on local real estate valuation. Certainly centralizing revenues and then distributing them ac
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Sep 28, 2008
Reb
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an excellent set of portraits, but where is the clear policy solution? where is the righteous indignation against the government? shipler manages to repeatedly point fingers and lay blame in all sorts of locations, interlacing his harshest words with beautifully, spaciously elaborated tales of economic woe, giving one the impression that he's more interested in a good story than in a good argument.
also, he doesn't do enough to really analyze racial divides around class mobility. it s More...
also, he doesn't do enough to really analyze racial divides around class mobility. it s More...
Nov 06, 2008
Valerie
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Shipler debunks the myth that gainful employment is a sure step toward a life of security, that it builds pride, and that it guarantees workers a better future. In this probing and insightful study, the Pulitzer-Prize winning author takes aim at America’s avoidance attitudes toward an often-overlooked and much-misunderstood segment of American society: the employed poor. These are the low-wage workers for whom living paycheck to paycheck is a triumph, for whom a medical crisis spells disaster,
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Apr 16, 2009
Justine
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I've been on a poverty rage lately, and this book was fuel to that fire. A narrative interlaced with dozens of individual stories, this book lays blame everywhere without having to point it out. Shipler stays out of the political fray for the most part. In fact, he mostly stays out of the preaching business, too. He lays out the facts and research, supplements with personal stories, conversations, and following families for years at a time, but mostly allows me to reach my own conclusions.
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May 08, 2008
Hannah
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This book was great at pointing out all the factors that keep people at or near poverty. It's not just an education, race, broken family, or health care issue; it's those plus so many others. It was so sad reading about the constant struggles of the poor in "the land of opportunity." After reading this book, I felt I gained more compassion and understanding for the poor. In essence, I felt the problems were very well laid out; however, the solutions were lacking.
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