Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by 3batsinatrenchcoat
The Working Poor: Invisible in America by David K. Shipler
5.0
Honestly this book was fantastic, I was kind of pulling my favorite quotes and making note of them as I went along and there were so many amazing ones. I think that Shipler did a fantastic job of digging around all ends of the working poor spectrum; he pulled insights from across all races and genders. From so many age groups (teens, adults, and kids). He looked into those who were addicts and those who weren't. Those who were born into poverty and those who were not.
He also took a look at and pointed out how environment, psychology, and financial situations were all interlinked and that usually one component factored into the others and has a hand in how the cycle of poverty is so hard to break because of this.
I feel like Shipler has a deep grasp and understanding on the topics he is discussing in this book.
He touches on some aspects that I hadn't even considered such as how it can be significantly harder to be poor in a rich country than it is to be poor in a poor country.
I think that what I loved the most about this book though was, "So I am rooting for them no doubt. But I have tried to see with clear eyes, not through an ideological lens. Indeed, devout conservatives and impassioned liberals will be bothered by this portrait of poverty, at least I hope so, for the reality I discovered does not fit neatly into anyone's political agenda. I want to challenge and undermine long standing assumptions at both ends of the spectrum."
He said it and he stuck to it. I love this approach because it comes at subjects with an open mind and a willingness to present facts as clearly, truthfully, and unbiased as possible. Which is the integrity that a lot of media seems to lack.
And I think that Shipler was successful with this. He pointed out how corporations and greed impact and worsen poverty but acknowledged some of the habits and pitfalls that people put themselves into that worsen their situations. And he does so without condemning either side.
I can respect this very much.
He also took a look at and pointed out how environment, psychology, and financial situations were all interlinked and that usually one component factored into the others and has a hand in how the cycle of poverty is so hard to break because of this.
I feel like Shipler has a deep grasp and understanding on the topics he is discussing in this book.
He touches on some aspects that I hadn't even considered such as how it can be significantly harder to be poor in a rich country than it is to be poor in a poor country.
I think that what I loved the most about this book though was, "So I am rooting for them no doubt. But I have tried to see with clear eyes, not through an ideological lens. Indeed, devout conservatives and impassioned liberals will be bothered by this portrait of poverty, at least I hope so, for the reality I discovered does not fit neatly into anyone's political agenda. I want to challenge and undermine long standing assumptions at both ends of the spectrum."
He said it and he stuck to it. I love this approach because it comes at subjects with an open mind and a willingness to present facts as clearly, truthfully, and unbiased as possible. Which is the integrity that a lot of media seems to lack.
And I think that Shipler was successful with this. He pointed out how corporations and greed impact and worsen poverty but acknowledged some of the habits and pitfalls that people put themselves into that worsen their situations. And he does so without condemning either side.
I can respect this very much.