Editorial Review

Essayist and cultural critic Barbara Ehrenreich has always specialized in turning received wisdom on its head with intelligence, clarity, and verve. With some 12 million women being pushed into the labor market by welfare reform, she decided to do some good old-fashioned journalism and find out just how they were going to survive on the wages of the unskilled--at $6 to $7 an hour, only half of what is considered a living wage. So she did what millions of Americans do, she looked for a job and a place to live, worked that job, and tried to make ends meet. Read more

Reviews (979)

Next week on The Simple Life, Barb joins Paris and Nicole for shift work at the local Wallyworld!
She Made It Even Harder To Get By
Ehrenreich is the kind of journalist I despise. One who thinks her insights are so important that it doesn't matter how much she inconveniences others to make her point.
Bring your own grain of salt.
This is not a bad book, but it's not a good one. Although I certainly gained some insight from reading this book, I was disappointed (and surprised) by Ms. Ehrenreich's (or the editor's?) lack of fact-checking/ attention to detail, and/or embellishment.
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Subjects:  1. Government - U.S. Government    2. Labor    3. Labor & Industrial Relations - General    4. Labor Economics (General)    5. Minimum wage    6. Politics / Current Events    7. Poverty    8. Social Science    9. Sociology    10. Sociology - Social Theory    11. United States    12. Unskilled labor    13. Labour economics    14. Sociology, Social Studies   

Reviews (50)

"Poverty" Misunderstood.
Let me start off by mentioning all the positive elements of this work (of which there are not many). In the beginning, the author shares accurate Census figures about poverty along with insight that it is a relative condition which applies to all races and creeds. She also recommends that educators should teach and strengthen rather than praise and condemn. From here, however, the work slips into the abyss. A Great Start
I work in a large middle school which hit the 50% level of students in poverty a few years ago. The majority of our poverty students are white, while the number of African-American students is less than 5%.The percent of Hispanic students in poverty in our school/community is growing.Ruby Payne's description of students and families in poverty fits our school to a large degree.Our entire corporation has been exposed to her materials, we've had Ruby as a guest presenter and our entire middle school staff has studied her book. We continue to incorporate much of what her materials recommend.We are having good success with this endeavor, and like anything in education, it is a work in progress.
A Must Read for any...
This is a must read for all teachers, pastors, doctors, lawyers,who deal with various social levels and just about anyone else who feels they can't understand why poor people are poor and stay that way generation after generation.
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Subjects:  1. Poverty    2. Social Science / Poverty    3. Social Science / Social Work    4. Sociology    5. Education    6. People with social disabilities    7. Poor    8. Social classes    9. United States   

Reviews (18)

"Lack of feedback is one of the most critical flaws in existing aid." (Worthy of 4 stars if not for author's quirks--see below.)
JFK declared in 1961 that "existing foreign aid programs and concepts are largely unsatisfactory." He then stated his intention "during this coming decade of development to achieve a decisive turnaround in the fate of the less-developed world, looking toward the ultimate day...when foreign aid will no longer be needed."45 years on innumerable people all over the globe are wondering what went wrong. The author of this book, an economist formerly with the World Bank, thinks he has an answer.In his view, "the legend that inspired foreign aid in the 1950s is the same legend that inspires foreign aid today"---"that the poorest countries are in a poverty trap...from which they cannot emerge without an aid-financed Big Push."Western elitist balderdash, William Easterly, calls this notion; arguing that the economical and political complexity of any society "dooms any attempt to achieve the end of poverty through a plan," adding that "no rich society has ended poverty in this way."How then is the West supposed to wipe out hunger, malaria, AIDS, TB, illiteracy, etc. within upwards of a 3,4, or 5 dozen countries around the world, all within a ten or fifteen years, or within any specific time frame.Utopian social engineering has not, to say the least, been particularly successful in living up to its rhetoric.It ought not be a revelation, thus, that "a big problem with foreign aid has been its aspiration to a utopian blue-print to fix the world's complex problems."How many cycles of "idealism, high expectations, disappointing results, cynical backbash" ought it take for us to conclude that some things just cannot be accomplished by planning fiat.It doesn't help matters, either, that "in the typical utopian program, everything is done at once and it is impossible to learn what works and what doesn't."
Masterful combination of rigorous analysis and real-life experience
In The White Man's Burden: Why the West's Efforts to Aid the Rest Have Done So Much Ill and So Little Good, William Easterly does a masterful job of taking the complex topics of international development and aid and making them understandable and accessible to the uninitiated.He does this not through dumbing-down the subject, patronizing his reader, or oversimplification, but through effectively lifting the shrouds of jargon, pretentiousness and mystification that drape most academic and international organization publications.Easterly seems to take delight at poking fun at the reams of incomprehensible babble and acronyms that spew out of most official documents.
This should be required reading, along with Collision and Collusion, the Strange Case of Western Aid for Eastern Europe
I spent 5 years doing a private development project. What I learned is exactly what Easterly says and more.
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Subjects:  1. Developing countries    2. Economic assistance    3. International Relations - General    4. Nonprofit Organizations & Charities    5. Politics / Current Events    6. Poverty    7. Prevention    8. Social Science    9. Sociology    10. Third World Development    11. Social Science / Poverty   

Editorial Review

Celebrated economist Jeffrey Sachs has a plan to eliminate extreme poverty around the world by 2025. If you think that is too ambitious or wildly unrealistic, you need to read this book. His focus is on the one billion poorest individuals around the world who are caught in a poverty trap of disease, physical isolation, environmental stress, political instability, and lack of access to capital, technology, medicine, and education. The goal is to help these people reach the first rung on the "ladder of economic development" so they can rise above mere subsistence level and achieve some control over their economic futures and their lives. To do this, Sachs proposes nine specific steps, which he explains in great detail in Read more

Reviews (14)

At least it got people talking about global economics...
I really wanted to love this book. It came strongly recommended by a good friend who is very interested in development work.Whenever I read a review I always try and figure out what angle the reviewer is coming from, so for the record I'm deeply interested in development work and I have a background in economics and environmental science, but mostly I'm just really well read.
why we lost the poor
The End of Poverty is an excellent book. It shows how economic thinking can provide a better wealth situation in the underdeveloped world. Jeffrey Sachs describes his last twenty years on development economics. He is the driving force behind the mayor developments in Bolivia and Poland. The book contains his experiences in Bolivia, Poland and Russia. If you introduce economic measures in these countries you can take a big step to let the people help themselves. But if you go to Africa, it seams that these measures are really not the first aid you can give them.
Historic Opportunity for Our Generation
Through clear illustrations and calculations, Jeffrey Sachs lays out a very optimistic and compelling argument that extreme poverty can be ended within our generation. Two major requirements of this plan are the rich nation's commitment to debt relief and their honoring of their promises to dedicate a meager 0.7% of GNP to Official Development Assistance (ODA). If properly invested in infrastructure, health, and education (a topic well covered in the book), these funds could put the extremely poor back on the economic ladder towards growth and development. Sachs sites numerous success stories such as the Marshall Plan and the eradication of African River Blindness and Smallpox where sufficient funding and dedication successfully accomplished development objectives.
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Subjects:  1. Business / Economics / Finance    2. Developing countries    3. Development - Economic Development    4. Economic assistance    5. Economic conditions    6. Economics - General    7. Economics Of Developing Countries    8. Poverty    9. Public Policy - Economic Policy    10. Social Science    11. Sociology    12. Third World Development    13. Business & Economics / Economic Conditions   

Reviews (4)

Bridges Out of Poverty: Strategies for Professionals
I have not had a chance to read the material yet.

A Powerful Mentoring Model
I was fortunate to attend a workshop one year ago which included this book and two of the three authors, DeVol and Dreussi-Smith. They highlighted the content of the book, to an audience of counselors, social workers, case managers, residential treatment staff for chemical dependency recovery, and prevention specialists.This book spotlights the culture of poverty, and the distinct differences in the way in which the poor, the middle class and the wealthy view the world from their unique vantage points.I was enlightened in learning to understand the frames of references of persons without savings, present time- orientation, and the differences in the way each class views, uses and perfects the resources of each cultural status.
stimulating book/novice reviewer
I'm currently furthering my education as an intern at a Catholic Charities branch whose Outreach Dept. -(small but succinct, assertive & powerfully proactive)- is building an 'Out of Poverty' program based on "Bridges," concomitantly constructing a more narrowily focused faith-based/interfaith version.The OR dept. received intensive & extensive training in a comprehensive & extended Bridges seminar presented -(rather dynamically I am told)- by Mr. Devol, CCDC/OCPC (I am under the impression neither Dr. Payne nor Ms. Smith MAEd/OCPC accompanied Mr. DeVol).Going from manual labor to the social services has involved much paradigmatic & theoretical integration -(& overhaul-and-reintegration)- for me as a professional; as a novice, my ruminations carry little weight.I am, however, surrounded by well-educated mentor-veterans who are dyamically implementing a variation of "Bridges" 'to the hilt.' -- I am priveleged to be a part of this pragmatic & collaborative dynamism.Whether this is ingratiative for the novice, a paragon for the veteran worker, or both, I am unsure; I can only say with infinitesimal (& anecdotal) authority that it is already helping me immensely.I am, in addition, confident that it will continue to abet my internship & catalyze my fresh work experience. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Anthropology - Physical    2. Poverty    3. Social Science    4. Sociology   

Reviews (31)

Should this be the new Bible?
Without being judgmental, without recommending socialism, without envoking guilt, Sider has created an excellent book in which he argues that modern day "Christians" are lacking one of the most essential qualities of being a Christian --- denying materialism and giving to the poor."Christians" in America are out of control, too focused on maximizing material wealth and not at all concerned with God's children who are so poor.We should be ashamed; instead, our churches have led us to believe that this selfish behavior is justified, that God wants us to be excessively wealthy.Hogwash.BUY THIS BOOK AND CHANGE YOUR LIFESTYLE.

Ouch
Ouch
Get past the numbers to find the heart
This book is the current discussion point of the small group of which I am apart of through my church in Indianapolis. We were guided to this book by a friend who is currently headed to Sierra Leone for missions work. As someone who has a firm grasp on global political issues, I was wary at first of reading something that I thought we just be an in-print version of a Sally Struthers commercial.
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Subjects:  1. Christian Life    2. Christianity - Christian Life - General    3. Christianity - Christian Life - Social Issues    4. Christianity - General    5. Poverty    6. Religion    7. Religion - Christian Life    8. Religion - Church History    9. Religion / Christian Life   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (55)

hundreds and hundres of interviews with many follow-ups years later...
...is how Shipler wrote this book. He talked to working poor all over America, in cities and in rural areas. He talked to their teachers, counselors, doctors, lawyers, bosses and social workers.
Great Book
In this book, David Shipler addressed many topics which are often undiscussed in American society. His non-judgmental assessment of the personal & institutional causes perpetuating working-class poverty was phenomenal. The narratives he used supplemented the usual facts and figures.

A thoughtful and compassionate read
This is a pretty long book, but the storytelling and people we meet make it an enjoyable and engaging read. I especially appreciate the author's summary and his thoughtful exploration of ways to combat and alleviate poverty. No easy answers, but a lot of compassion. I still think about it daily. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Contemporary Economic Situations And Conditions    2. Economic conditions    3. Economics - General    4. Finance, Personal    5. Labor & Industrial Relations - General    6. Poor    7. Poverty    8. Social Classes    9. Social Science    10. Sociology    11. Sociology - General    12. United States    13. Wages    14. Working class    15. Social Science / Sociology / General   

Reviews (108)

Funny and True.
A useful tool for determining your place in life. Learn how to differentiate and identify the 3 major and 9 sub classes of people in the U.S. Learn the tell tail signs people exhibit that signifies there social class. A very funny read.

Funniest book I ever read
I read hundreds of books, mostly nonfiction, and this is by far the most hilarious. Even through several readings over the last fifteen years, I laugh so hard that the tears flow.Fussell's accurate, minute descriptions of people from every socioeconomic class and their possessions, pretensions and weaknesses are finely observed and incredibly detailed. I have my children read it for their home education in high school, as a guide through the United States class system.
Parasitic WASPs
A number of families of WASPs lay their eggs inside the larvae or pupae of flies, and are known as parasitoids. The WASP eggs hatch inside the maggot or fly pupa. The WASP larvae then feed on the maggot or pupa, eventually killing it. The WASP larvae then pupate inside the maggot or fly pupa and emerge as adult WASPs.
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Subjects:  1. Poverty    2. Social Stratification    3. Social classes    4. Social life and customs    5. Sociology    6. United States    7. Social Science / General    8. USA   

Reviews (2)

Way More Than Informative...
Some books are informative.And some books are eye-opening.This book is eye-opening.Read it and you will learn many fascinating things you never dreamed were going on....
Wise and compassionate
Venkatesh is that rare academic whose writing appeals both to the specialist and the layman.He has constructed a wise and compassionate portrait that never loses sight of the humanity of his subjects. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Chicago    2. Criminology    3. Ethnic Studies - African American Studies - General    4. Illinois    5. Informal sector (Economics)    6. Minority Studies - General    7. Poor    8. Poverty    9. Social Science    10. Sociology    11. Sociology - Urban    12. Social Science / Sociology / Urban    13. Urban communities   

Reviews (8)

Think again
This book is not rubbish.Yes it is slightly propagandistic on the part of "socialism" (though I agree with the views of a previous reviewer), though if you'd seen this type of poverty and social immobility in a FIRST WORLD COUNTRY you'd want to do the same thing. If you read this book and come out with the view that "they should have worked harder", then I believe you are only accepting the view that these people projected onto you. THEY believe they won't make it, so they don't do any work.Also to these Calvinists, maybe you'd like to do a little research of your own into the US education system, especially concentrating on the amount spent on these individuals.They say segregation is dead in the US, it's just gone underground (I'm including "involuntary minorities" eg the Hallway Hangers).

Moving and Troublesome
I read this years ago in an anthropology/sociology class in college, and I can say that it still carries as much weight today as it did then.Jay manages to weave entertaining narration with factual reporting, resulting in a moving work that points a critical finger at our society.I've actually met the author, and can say that he is an honest, engaging and professional writer.At no point did he milk the drama angle of this work, nor use it to further his own agenda.I noticed another reviewer called this book "socialist junk"; to this person I say: just because this work is a testament to some of the failures of America's precious capitalist model does not immediately make it socialist.Moreover, if socialism means having a conscience about racism and socioeconomic discrimination, then sign me up!

Socialist Junk
This book did a great job of showing how research can be distorted any way one desires. I was forced to read this text for a Social Anthropology class. The boys that MacLeod follows throughout his research fail because the just didn't try hard enough. The one boy who almost succeeds fails not because of social constraints but because he could not shed his tendancy towards poor behavior- such as having children at too young an age. Read more

Subjects:  1. Anthropology - General    2. Case studies    3. Poverty    4. Social Science    5. Social mobility    6. Sociology    7. United States    8. Urban poor    9. Youth with social disabilities    10. Anthropology    11. Social classes    12. USA   

Reviews (5)

Brilliant and Comprehensive

A rigged free market system
M. Chossudovsky attacks head on the New World Order imposed by the World Bank (WB0), the IMF and the WTO, calling their economic 'reforms' enforced on countries in distress not less than genocides.
The Road to Serfdom
I was originally born in Uganda and I can assure you that Africans have always been suspicious of the so-called "aid" they receive since it almost always comes after a crisis that they can't quite explain (like how did a bunch of poor, illiterate preteens get the money to buy those fancy weapons, or why won't aid agencies buy food from the local farmers and distribute THAT).
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Subjects:  1. Economic Conditions    2. Economics - Macroeconomics    3. International - Economics    4. Politics / Current Events   

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Colonies    5. Dependency    6. Developing countries    7. Development - Economic Development    8. Economic conditions    9. Poverty    10. Public Policy - Social Services & Welfare    11. Business & Economics / Economic Development    12. Development economics    13. Development studies    14. Economics | Developmental   

Reviews (14)

A plan and a case to replace the U.S. welfare state--in 127 pages
I must admit that although I like Murray's Plan a lot, until Part III I was somewhat bored. Part III though was fascinating and alone worth the book.
The Author is correct to propose radical thinking:
Other reviewers have vetted the details of the book, I ask you to come up to 15,000 feet with me an look at the macro economic situation of the future, starting in 2015.
A few interesting ideas, but not really better than the current system.
I liked the idea of replacing social security, medicare, and medicaid with a $10,000 a year grant. Then I ran some numbers in my head.
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Subjects:  1. Finance    2. Government - U.S. Government    3. Guaranteed annual income    4. Negative income tax    5. Politics / Current Events &