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Growing Up Poor: A Literary Anthology
In a land of seemingly endless plenty, Growing Up Poor offers a startling and beautiful collection of stories, poems, and essays about growing up without. Searing in their candor, understated, and often unexpectedly moving, the selections range from a young girl’s story of growing up in New York's slums at the turn of the twentieth century, to a southern family's struggles during the Depression, to contemporary stories of rural and urban poverty by some of our foremost authors.
Thematically organized into four sections—on the material circumstances of poverty, denigration at the hands of others, the working poor, and moments of resolve and resiliency—the book combines the work of experienced authors, many writing autobiographically about their first-hand experience of poverty, with that of students and other contemporary writers.
Edited and with an introduction by Pulitzer Prize–winning child psychiatrist Robert Coles, Growing Up Poor gives eloquent voice to those judged not by who they are, but by what they lack.
Thematically organized into four sections—on the material circumstances of poverty, denigration at the hands of others, the working poor, and moments of resolve and resiliency—the book combines the work of experienced authors, many writing autobiographically about their first-hand experience of poverty, with that of students and other contemporary writers.
Edited and with an introduction by Pulitzer Prize–winning child psychiatrist Robert Coles, Growing Up Poor gives eloquent voice to those judged not by who they are, but by what they lack.
304 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2001
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205 people want to read
About the author
Robert Coles
244 books77 followersChild psychiatrist, author, Harvard professor.
Robert Coles is a professor of psychiatry and medical humanities at the Harvard Medical School, a research psychiatrist for the Harvard University Health Services, and the James Agee Professor of Social Ethics at Harvard College.
Robert Coles is a professor of psychiatry and medical humanities at the Harvard Medical School, a research psychiatrist for the Harvard University Health Services, and the James Agee Professor of Social Ethics at Harvard College.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
May 21, 2008
this book is amazing and gives real insight into the life of people that we may never know of otherwise
March 8, 2020
This is a strong collection of both fiction and non-fiction covering a wide diversity of impoverished backgrounds. Although it includes several classic selections (works by Cisneros, Hurston, & Alexie), most of the works are less well-known, yet just as powerful. In fact, a couple of the stories by these less famous authors moved me so profoundly that I have already begun looking for other works by them.
My only criticism about this anthology is that instead of sticking with only first-person narratives, it also includes a few biographical essays written by the chief editor, Robert Coles. My guess is that these third-person pieces were included as a means of offering perspectives from other demographics not covered in the other selections e.g. an African-American male who was one of the first to attend an all-white school in 1960s-era Atlanta, a young white girl growing up in deep Appalachia, etc. Although I commend the editors for attempting inclusivity, I think 1st-person works by people from those segments of the population would have been a better choice than profiles told through the lens of privilege. Having said that, this collection is almost 20 years old (published in 2001), but it still carries a lot of value. I'd like to see an updated anthology released. These types of stories have the potential to build empathy in their readers--a trait that seems to be missing in many circles in 2020.
My only criticism about this anthology is that instead of sticking with only first-person narratives, it also includes a few biographical essays written by the chief editor, Robert Coles. My guess is that these third-person pieces were included as a means of offering perspectives from other demographics not covered in the other selections e.g. an African-American male who was one of the first to attend an all-white school in 1960s-era Atlanta, a young white girl growing up in deep Appalachia, etc. Although I commend the editors for attempting inclusivity, I think 1st-person works by people from those segments of the population would have been a better choice than profiles told through the lens of privilege. Having said that, this collection is almost 20 years old (published in 2001), but it still carries a lot of value. I'd like to see an updated anthology released. These types of stories have the potential to build empathy in their readers--a trait that seems to be missing in many circles in 2020.
August 21, 2019
This is a collection of writings from a wide variety of people on their experiences of poverty. Some are first person accounts while others are based on interviews and observations. The anthology is copyright 1967; some of the selections go back as far as 1937 - and all, unfortunately, are still pertinent.
As Growing Up Poor amply illustrates, no cultural or ethnic group has a monopoly on poverty. Robert Coles is acclaimed for his hands-on and academic work among the children of poverty. This book should be required reading for anyone who hopes to address issues of poverty, especially in the fields of politics and education.
As Growing Up Poor amply illustrates, no cultural or ethnic group has a monopoly on poverty. Robert Coles is acclaimed for his hands-on and academic work among the children of poverty. This book should be required reading for anyone who hopes to address issues of poverty, especially in the fields of politics and education.
April 26, 2022
Published in 2001, this collection features a range of genres, including poetry, memoir, and fiction. Robert Coles' introduction is thought-provoking discussion of how writing articulates and documents the challenges of poverty. Coles selected works by Ralph Ellison, Gary Soto, Zora Neale Hurston, Sandra Cisneros, Sherman Alexie, and Luis J. Rodriguez, among others. My favorites are an excerpt from Mildred Taylor's "Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry" and Sylvia Watanabe's short story, "The Ghost of Fred Astaire". Taken as a whole, the works remind the reader that hope and desire cross the boundaries of income -- we are much more alike than we are different.
July 11, 2020
It’s hard to go wrong with an anthology. A nice cross section of authors.
February 25, 2023
Some poignant great stories.
June 4, 2014
The value of literature is both personal and social.
With a selection covering most of the twentieth century Growing Up Poor is a collection of stories, poems and biographical pieces delving into the range of experiences of poverty – emotionally, socially and psychologically. Edited by a psychiatrist whose career was founded in the desegregation of education in the 1960s, who won the Pulitzer Prize for his five volume work Children of Crisis, this collection underpins teaching Robert Coles went on to at Harvard University.
While the opportunity to remember difficult times may not seem desirable, the strength gained from the knowledge of what one has survived builds reserves for endurance. Rewriting one’s life is also a means by which to explore opportunities for change.
The value to others comes out of both shared endurance and inspiration to turn survival into thriving. What cannot be achieved alone may be possible with the right combination of different views and efforts for a common goal.
The basis of power is often recognised as speaking one’s truth, and requires finding one’s voice. With the increased pressure of media outlets repeating particular voices over others, the importance of the small voices talking their way out of their own darkness is perhaps greater than it has ever been.
Most important of all is breaking the presumption that poverty means a lack of intelligence. This collection shows that diversity is an intelligence all of its own. It neither concludes any particular outcome, nor stifles the examination of the situation as experienced by each participant. It allows the all-important human inner view that often gets overlooked by statistical conglomerations and social programs. It also considers the application of will rather than the crushing of it.
As poverty tends to be generational – both financially and psychologically – a fresh look through another’s eyes can show opportunities that tease as well as tempt. What one generation could not achieve, they could at least dream and pass such dreams on to the next generation to be able to live.
Money is a social construct, and so is poverty. Human resources can only compensate for a lack of access to physical resources where social interference through the psychology of blame is minimised. While some consider attitudes fought against as builders of character, there is a limit to every argument in a particular direction. The question of who sets the agenda for determining what blame is, and what it is for, has to be considered as part of this social interference. Change is not what is left over at the end of a big spend. It is the proportion by which any commitment to a particular direction is reduced so that other options and opinions may also be considered.
Growing Up Poor is a book about change. It happens in varying degrees but it is constantly happening.
With a selection covering most of the twentieth century Growing Up Poor is a collection of stories, poems and biographical pieces delving into the range of experiences of poverty – emotionally, socially and psychologically. Edited by a psychiatrist whose career was founded in the desegregation of education in the 1960s, who won the Pulitzer Prize for his five volume work Children of Crisis, this collection underpins teaching Robert Coles went on to at Harvard University.
While the opportunity to remember difficult times may not seem desirable, the strength gained from the knowledge of what one has survived builds reserves for endurance. Rewriting one’s life is also a means by which to explore opportunities for change.
The value to others comes out of both shared endurance and inspiration to turn survival into thriving. What cannot be achieved alone may be possible with the right combination of different views and efforts for a common goal.
The basis of power is often recognised as speaking one’s truth, and requires finding one’s voice. With the increased pressure of media outlets repeating particular voices over others, the importance of the small voices talking their way out of their own darkness is perhaps greater than it has ever been.
Most important of all is breaking the presumption that poverty means a lack of intelligence. This collection shows that diversity is an intelligence all of its own. It neither concludes any particular outcome, nor stifles the examination of the situation as experienced by each participant. It allows the all-important human inner view that often gets overlooked by statistical conglomerations and social programs. It also considers the application of will rather than the crushing of it.
As poverty tends to be generational – both financially and psychologically – a fresh look through another’s eyes can show opportunities that tease as well as tempt. What one generation could not achieve, they could at least dream and pass such dreams on to the next generation to be able to live.
Money is a social construct, and so is poverty. Human resources can only compensate for a lack of access to physical resources where social interference through the psychology of blame is minimised. While some consider attitudes fought against as builders of character, there is a limit to every argument in a particular direction. The question of who sets the agenda for determining what blame is, and what it is for, has to be considered as part of this social interference. Change is not what is left over at the end of a big spend. It is the proportion by which any commitment to a particular direction is reduced so that other options and opinions may also be considered.
Growing Up Poor is a book about change. It happens in varying degrees but it is constantly happening.
August 19, 2015
In "A Question of Class" did I really start to connect with this book. Being raised low-middle class and now one step away from being on the street if not for my family. Like Dorothy Allison says, and I quote "My family's lives were not on television, not in books..." It hit me! When I was a kid I didnt know any different the older I got the more I realized we are all not alike nor are our actions and reactions the same like when we were children.
My young childhood was not nearly as dramatic as the authors, but I believe this story is written in such a way that even if you didn't grow up like her, you understood and are empathetic to her situation. It was one of my favorite's. Another great story was from "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston. Though the ebonics sometimes drove me crazy it was needed to create the story it did, the story of a grandmother telling her grand daughter some of her family history whether she wants to hear it or not. About them being colored so there's one strike against them, the daughter gets pregnant but leaves the baby with her mother. The grand daughter is the same age her mother when she started making bad choices and the grandmother wants the grand daughter to see how hard she worked to give her a good life b/c she musta made a misstak wit her daugher, the baby's mama, the granchile. (similar to the ebonics in the book at times, my thoughts). Ebonics were neccesary as the story took place in the rural, Deep South. It was also high on my list, but it was Hurston.
There were many great story's from different writing projects with teens coming from an extremely poor, abusive, dangerous or all of thee above. Some of the teens are very talented and I hope they were encouraged to pursue their gift and use it to their advantage, so they don't continue the family history circle of being "Poor in America" as the news calls it today (12/23/10).
My young childhood was not nearly as dramatic as the authors, but I believe this story is written in such a way that even if you didn't grow up like her, you understood and are empathetic to her situation. It was one of my favorite's. Another great story was from "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston. Though the ebonics sometimes drove me crazy it was needed to create the story it did, the story of a grandmother telling her grand daughter some of her family history whether she wants to hear it or not. About them being colored so there's one strike against them, the daughter gets pregnant but leaves the baby with her mother. The grand daughter is the same age her mother when she started making bad choices and the grandmother wants the grand daughter to see how hard she worked to give her a good life b/c she musta made a misstak wit her daugher, the baby's mama, the granchile. (similar to the ebonics in the book at times, my thoughts). Ebonics were neccesary as the story took place in the rural, Deep South. It was also high on my list, but it was Hurston.
There were many great story's from different writing projects with teens coming from an extremely poor, abusive, dangerous or all of thee above. Some of the teens are very talented and I hope they were encouraged to pursue their gift and use it to their advantage, so they don't continue the family history circle of being "Poor in America" as the news calls it today (12/23/10).
June 1, 2014
This is an amazing collection of stories about hardships faced by those growing up poor. It's not a great anthology however . The framing device device is weak and rather arbitrary. Furthermore the mini-bios before each piece spoil the story ahead of it. Also significant time is given to talk about how amazing the lead author is, including an excerpt of his that is actually the weakest piece in the book. I'm giving this 4 stars because some of the stories were downright amazing and powerful and this book gave me a whole bunch of inspiration on what to read but the main author prevents it from excelling
July 11, 2015
I found this collection of writings from various authors quite interesting. My favorites were Mildred Taylor and Sylvia Wantanabe, and of course, Betty Smith. Those two stories touched me the most. I had read Roll of Thunder and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, but it had been awhile and I was thrilled to be reconnected with those stories. This book is a worthy look at struggling in the face of poverty, both urban and rural. The lengths that people will go to to survive is amazing.
August 1, 2013
This was a good solid anthology of what it's like to grow up poor in the US. Some stories are old and some are recent, some are fiction while others are memoirs, but they're all pretty good. I was less into the poetry since it tells a tale, but a lot of it was just a snapshot and I wanted more.
While interesting, I didn't really feel like Sylvia Watanabe's "The Ghost of Fred Astaire" belonged in this book.
While interesting, I didn't really feel like Sylvia Watanabe's "The Ghost of Fred Astaire" belonged in this book.
July 26, 2009
Really good theme-based anthology. The poetry isn't as strong as the fiction and nonfiction, however. The literary nature of the anthology allowed for the craft to be just as good as the narratives about poverty. I recommend it for reading and teaching.
June 17, 2015
A very nice collection. However, it turns out that I had already read many of these stories/poems. Some of the stories were chapters taken from books I had loved. It's definitely a worthwhile read, though.
April 28, 2009
I had to read and write a paper about this for a social policy class. I pretty much enjoyed it.
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