The Working Poor: Invisible in America
The Working Poor: Invisible in America
“Most of the people I write about in this book do not have the luxury of rage. They are caught in exhausting struggles. Their wages do not lift them far enough from poverty to improve their lives, and their lives, in turn, hold them back. The term by which they are usually described, ‘working poor,’ should be an oxymoron. Nobody who works hard should be poor in America.” —from the Introduction
From the author of the Pulitzer Prize–winning Arab and Jew, a new book that presents a searing, intimate portrait of working American families struggling against insurmountable odds to escape poverty.
As David K. Shipler makes clear in this powerful, humane 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, courageous lives of the poor—white and black, Asian and Latino, citizens and immigrants. We encounter them every day, for they do jobs essential to the American economy.
We meet drifting farmworkers in North Carolina, exploited garment workers in New Hampshire, illegal immigrants trapped in the steaming kitchens of Los Angeles restaurants, addicts who struggle into productive work from the cruel streets of the nation’s capital—each life another aspect of a confounding, far-reaching urgent national crisis. And unlike most works on poverty, this one delves into the calculations of some employers as well—their razor-thin profits, their anxieties about competition from abroad, their frustrations in finding qualified workers.
This impassioned book not only dissects the problems, but makes pointed, informed recommendations for change. It is a book that stands to make a difference.
From the Hardcover edition.The Working Poor 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.
“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.
Prepare to have any preconceived notions about those living in poverty in America challenged by this affecting book. –Shawn Carkonen
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars A Must Read
David K. Shipler tackles this difficult subject with compassion and honesty. This is not one of those books that is boring to read, with endless facts and figures. Shipler engages his readers with his conversational style of writing. He introduces us to some of the working poor, tells us of their hardships and their victories.
Most people are not poor because they are stupid or lazy. Many of us, in fact, are one bad choice or one serious illness away from being part of the working poor. This book sheds light on a subject that has too long been swept under the carpet. I believe everyone in the U.S. should read this one.
5 Stars Required for Congress
The author states in his introduction that he hopes to upset both liberals and conservatives, and he accomplishes his goals. His presentation is a close to unbiased as I can imagine, written in an interesting informative manner. Some of the people you will meet in this book will break your heart, while others will simply tick you off. Highly recommend!
4 Stars A Book Review of Shipler’s ‘Working Poor’
They are the people we often fail to notice: these men and women who make our beds at hotels, wash our dishes after we splurge on a night out at a restaurant, or toil in the fields to bring us the freshest produce. These are David Shipler’s subjects in The Working Poor: Invisible in America.
Shipler traveled America to find their stories, and he describes in almost excruciating detail the normalcy of their daily struggle as they report to work for minimum wage or less, sometimes bartering work for goods or services. The working poor are every race and age, American and illegal immigrant, those born into the cycle of poverty or those who have significant debt and no resources to combat it, yet sheer determination seldom improves their lot. Each vignette demonstrates the fragility of life in the abyss of poverty as meager circumstances hinder opportunities.
The author aptly explains that many who endure poverty share the burden of responsibility. Poor judgment, language, illiteracy, lack of knowledge, or personal weaknesses become insurmountable barriers when apathy breeds suspicion of bureaucracy. The ambitious few look for stability and alternatives, but others resign themselves to their circumstances.
Shipler also examines society and government. He asks pertinent questions about the willingness of our country to make sacrifices to lessen disparities in wages, health care access, and education even as he details the combination of factors that result in poverty. He encourages broad thinking and follow-through in public policy reform, and Shipler skillfully contrasts the conservative and liberal viewpoints in American policy initiatives.
The Working Poor appeals to the compassion Americans have for the less fortunate, while the vignettes bring the harsh reality of daily poverty into focus. Shipler’s recommendations for change and the politics of poverty may be too dull for some, yet I would give this book four stars based on his exceptional insight and descriptions of his subjects. I was particularly impressed with his efforts to continue contact with the people he interviewed. I would be most interested in asking Mr. Shipler his thoughts on the health care reform initiative.
5 Stars So far, well worth the purchase
I’ve only just begun the book- I may jump on with another review or an update later, but I am very glad that I bought this book on Amazon. He is a very good writer- easy to read and follow, with all the interruptions I have had today- I have been able to keep following him quite easily. I wish I could sit down and finish this in one swoop, but that’s life! I just want to say thanks for all the reviews. I rely so heavily on reviews when I purchase a book. I couldn’t be happier with this purchase! Thanks Everyone!
5 Stars The Malaise of the 21st Century
According to David Shipler, “No one who works hard in America should be poor” (Shipler, The Working Poor ix-xii). However, Shipler found many “working poor” all across the country, and in this examination delves as deeply (much more, and in a more detailed manner than Barbara Ehrenreich in Nickel and Dimed) into the reason and consequence of their condition. What does in fact have an impact is both the competition from abroad and/or a change in lifestyle that directly affects their pocketbook has a long-term effect on their financial situation (Shipler, The Working Poor 39-76, and 77-82). Some, to the chagrin of folks like Bill O’Reilly, Shipler has followed for a long period (Shipler, The Working Poor 301-309). Although, as far as Shipler is concerned, the problem is multi-factorial, (aside from the fact that they have no time for rage) Shipler argues that the ascent and decline of the nation’s official economy has almost no real impact on them (Shipler, The Working Poor 3-12).
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