The Working Poor

The Working Poor

Adult nonfiction IT
"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.
We fleetingly encounter these people as we go about our lives.
They cook and serve the happy meals we treat our kids to. They clean
the buildings in which we work and do business. They take care of
medically fragile family members. We depend on the labor of others we
never see. They sew the clothes we wear, harvest the vegetables in
our salads, and manufacture just about everything else we use on a
daily basis. For most of us it's out of sight, out of mind.
Fortunately David Shipler, author of The Working Poor, had a
very different response to the situation. He wanted to understand the
lives of those who had been left behind American dream wise. He
traveled the country getting to know his subjects in depth. He
followed some for five or six years. Basically he discovered that
there is no single cause of poverty or magic bullet solution. A
myriad of factors interact with and build upon each other.
Low wages in themselves do not create poverty. They lead to
other factors. Sometimes the only affordable housing is unfit for
human habitation. Toxic mold and cockroach sheddings can lead to
chronic health problems that undermine the ability to work.
Inconsistent work hours can make finding childcare and doing any kind
of budgeting highly challenging. Lacking bank accounts, they must
rely on usurious informal money lenders.
Then there's the children. Lack of prenatal care on the part of
their destitute mothers and exposure to environmental toxins before
birth can lead to prematurity, low birth rate, and birth defects.
It's harder to bond with overstressed mothers with little to nothing
provided for their emotional support. Toxins in their environments
such as lead chips they ingest and the lack of healthy, foods can
stunt their growth and damage their brains. And they arrive at the
most poorly funded schools in our nation.
Shipler believes that change is possible. But it has to attack
all the factors undermining and dooming the working poor rather than
tackling the one factor that seems most important. And there are a
number of ways to do that.
If you agree with Shipler that no one who works should be poor
in America you will find The Working Poor to be a must read.
On a purrrsonal note, I am so enjoying having the time to bond with
Tobago. She is so happy and confident now. Next week I have some
errands and an assessment commitment. The week after that it's back
to school and work. But in the meantime I'm loving every minute of my
adoption maternity leave. Tobago now has $451.98 in her medical
savings account.
I realized today I no longer hear a mouse in the walls. I'm pretty
sure I know why. Tobago is fierce with her prey toys. That is
another benefit of having a cat. Mice can get in trailers easily and
do bad stuff like chew on wires.
A great big shout out goes out to sweet little Tobago and all the
people who are falling for her charms.
jules hathaway


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