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A review by apatrick
The Working Poor: Invisible in America by David K. Shipler
4.0
It's a little depressing how little has changed in the 10 years since this book was published, but at least more people have health insurance. I picked up this book because it was recently the victim of an attempted ban by a very wealthy school district in my area. It's a staple of college social work courses and I had seen it tons of times, so I figured I ought to read it and see what the big deal is.
I have no idea how any school district could ban this book. It's really interesting, well-researched, and contains excellent scholarship, which makes it a good read for sociology courses. It's also wonderfully well-written and compelling, and the way the citations are done is an excellent example of scholarly writing, so it would also be great for writing students.
Shipler explores why people are poor despite having a job, and finds that there isn't one reason, there are a multitude of problems that affect low-income people and families and prevent them from achieving even a moderate safety net. This is not a surprise to anyone who has read Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickel and Dimed, also a well-known title about the lower end of the earning spectrum. Shipler's book is ultimately a little more optimistic, since he presents some ideas for solutions.
This is a great book for people who like reading about real people. If you liked Studs Terkel's Working, you'll like this, too, and if you liked this book, read that one!
I have no idea how any school district could ban this book. It's really interesting, well-researched, and contains excellent scholarship, which makes it a good read for sociology courses. It's also wonderfully well-written and compelling, and the way the citations are done is an excellent example of scholarly writing, so it would also be great for writing students.
Shipler explores why people are poor despite having a job, and finds that there isn't one reason, there are a multitude of problems that affect low-income people and families and prevent them from achieving even a moderate safety net. This is not a surprise to anyone who has read Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickel and Dimed, also a well-known title about the lower end of the earning spectrum. Shipler's book is ultimately a little more optimistic, since he presents some ideas for solutions.
This is a great book for people who like reading about real people. If you liked Studs Terkel's Working, you'll like this, too, and if you liked this book, read that one!