false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166403431m/11095.jpg 11095 2 <I>The Working Poor</I> examines the "forgotten America" where "millions live in the shadow of prosperity, in the twilight between poverty and well-being." These are citizens for whom the American Dream is out of reach despite their willingness to work hard. Struggling to simply survive, they live so close to the edge of poverty that a minor obstacle, such as a car breakdown or a temporary illness, can lead to a downward financial spiral that can prove impossible to reverse. David Shipler interviewed many such working people for this book and his profiles offer an intimate look at what it is like to be trapped in a cycle of dead-end jobs without benefits or opportunities for advancement. He shows how some negotiate a broken welfare system that is designed to help yet often does not, while others proudly refuse any sort of government assistance, even to their detriment. Still others have no idea that help is available at all. <p> "As a culture, the United States is not quite sure about the causes of poverty, and is therefore uncertain about the solutions," he writes. Though he details many ways in which current assistance programs could be more effective and rational, he does not believe that government alone, nor any other single variable, can solve the problem. Instead, a combination of things are required, beginning with the political will needed to create a relief system "that recognizes both the society's obligation through government and business, and the individual's obligation through labor and family." He does propose some specific steps in the right direction such as altering the current wage structure, creating more vocational programs (in both the public and private sectors), developing a fairer way to distribute school funding, and implementing basic national health care. <p> Prepare to have any preconceived notions about those living in poverty in America challenged by this affecting book. --<I>Shawn Carkonen</I> 430062 4 1 2004 The Working Poor: Invisible in America total:792|5:224|4:377|3:164|2:21|1:6| 792 3168 1308 156 3 4 false false Thu Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Thu Nov 15 06:53:45 -0800 2007 Thu Nov 15 14:52:45 -0800 2007 more...]]> 4 3 false false Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Tue Dec 11 09:25:23 -0800 2007 Sat Dec 15 07:47:55 -0800 2007 more...]]> 5 1 false false Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Thu Jul 31 10:01:23 -0700 2008 Thu Jul 31 10:10:57 -0700 2008 The most heinous problems to me were sexual abuse/domestic violence.
...more...]]> 0 0 false false Thu Feb 05 09:24:52 -0800 2009 Thu Feb 05 09:24:52 -0800 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 so...

more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Nov 30 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sun Nov 30 12:19:17 -0800 2008 Sun Nov 30 12:33:24 -0800 2008 The book "tells it like it is" with a healthy dose of realism, especially the chapter on the schools. I spent a...more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Sep 08 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Sep 12 12:04:11 -0700 2009 Sat Sep 12 12:04:11 -0700 2009
The idea that people i...more...]]> 5 1 false false Sun Feb 24 15:24:00 -0800 2008 Tue May 06 13:50:44 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Sep 27 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 04 17:35:55 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 04 17:40:45 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Fri Sep 18 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Sep 12 09:48:10 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 18 05:57:41 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Thu Feb 12 07:13:27 -0800 2009 Wed Jan 14 06:38:45 -0800 2009 Thu Feb 12 07:13:27 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Mar 28 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Mar 26 05:12:04 -0700 2009 Sun Mar 29 13:24:50 -0700 2009 1
I r...more...]]> 4 1 false false Wed Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2004 Sun Oct 26 23:34:37 -0700 2008 Sun Oct 26 23:35:51 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Sep 11 23:14:00 -0700 2008 Sun Sep 28 08:11:03 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Wed Jul 30 11:27:20 -0700 2008 Thu Nov 06 12:07:37 -0800 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Thu Apr 16 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 23 14:23:58 -0700 2008 Thu Apr 16 16:32:17 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri May 02 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Mar 25 19:39:06 -0700 2008 Thu May 08 13:16:47 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Apr 07 20:57:33 -0700 2008 Sat Jan 12 20:45:47 -0800 2008 Sat Jan 12 20:55:46 -0800 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Thu Jan 03 11:26:58 -0800 2008 Fri Jan 25 09:24:37 -0800 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Mar 26 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Dec 26 17:24:25 -0800 2007 Wed Mar 26 09:39:16 -0700 2008
I was expecting this book to fa...more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Tue Oct 16 14:07:12 -0700 2007 Tue Oct 30 18:35:05 -0700 2007 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=11095