Working Poor Book Summary
Three Main Points The Working Poor was written by David K. Shipler. The book gives readers a perspective of what life is like after poverty strikes. Each chapter focuses on either the contributing factors, the causes, or the effects of poverty. In the introduction of the book, Shipler paints the disturbing picture of what it’s like to live in poverty. The line on page 4, “an inconvenience to an affluent family- minor car trouble, brief illness, disruptive child care- is a crisis for them” helped illustrate this. This book provided evidence to back this up and I have also witnessed the unfortunate truth behind this statement. In early October, my tires got slashed, along with 40 other people in my neighborhood. As a member of the middle class, this was just a nuisance for me. My insurance company towed my car the next morning and I had new tires by the end of the day. This wasn’t the case for every victim of the vandalization, however. I noticed a few days after the incident that one of my neighbors was having a yard sale. I thought it was strange because it was in the middle of the day on a Tuesday. I decided to go check it out and got caught up in conversation with the man who lived at the house. He told me that when his tires were slashed he missed work the next morning, lost his job, and he was trying to sell his belongings so that his house would not get foreclosed on. It just goes to show that those who live in poverty are basically playing a game of Jenga. One wrong move, and their whole life comes crashing down. A simple act of vandalism was the hypothetical block that caused my neighbor’s “jenga tower” to crumble. Many others who live in poverty face similar battles. The second chapter of this book is titled “Work Doesn’t Work”. The chapter name is meant to be taken literally. In some cases, working just doesn’t cut it for some people, especially those who live in poverty. Unfortunately, the government makes it very difficult for poor people to overcome their difficult situations even if the individual has an adequate education. In addition, poverty is particularly difficult to conquer when there are children in the picture. Shipler used the story of Caroline Payne to illustrate this. Even though Caroline has an associate’s degree, she still has had a difficult getting back on her feet. After she and her husband got a divorce, Caroline has been in and out of jobs. She is not only seeking work to create a better life for herself, but she is also focusing on the well-being of her children. Caroline’s daughter, Amber, requires special attention because she was molested by her father and is slightly mentally retarded. Caroline was unable to keep up with the stresses of her work and home life, so she was forced to send her daughter to live in Indiana with one of her son’s spouses. Although, Caroline was working to create a better life for her and her family, her class identification prevented her from achieving that. Finally, the fifth chapter of this book explores the some of the stereotypes that are held by employers. Many people in poverty may have been in trouble with the law, been in bad situations, or may have been involved with drugs. Not only do these factors contribute to their …show more content…
In this course, we discussed the importance of social work practice with families. This practiced is favored by many social workers because it builds a support system for the clients and helps them overcome their difficult times (Birkenmaier, Berg-Weger, & Dewees, 2011). Similarly, in chapter seven of The Working Poor Shipler stresses the importance of kinship for families who live in poverty. He used the story of the King family to illustrate this. Their story showed how helpful it can be to have family on your side during difficult times. They helped one another overcome drug addictions, Kara’s health problems, and their overall financial crisis. They used their love and loyalty to one another to overcome the most difficult times. No matter what the crisis, family can be a powerful tool to help clients to conquer their
Three Main Points The Working Poor was written by David K. Shipler. The book gives readers a perspective of what life is like after poverty strikes. Each chapter focuses on either the contributing factors, the causes, or the effects of poverty. In the introduction of the book, Shipler paints the disturbing picture of what it’s like to live in poverty. The line on page 4, “an inconvenience to an affluent family- minor car trouble, brief illness, disruptive child care- is a crisis for them” helped illustrate this. This book provided evidence to back this up and I have also witnessed the unfortunate truth behind this statement. In early October, my tires got slashed, along with 40 other people in my neighborhood. As a member of the middle class, this was just a nuisance for me. My insurance company towed my car the next morning and I had new tires by the end of the day. This wasn’t the case for every victim of the vandalization, however. I noticed a few days after the incident that one of my neighbors was having a yard sale. I thought it was strange because it was in the middle of the day on a Tuesday. I decided to go check it out and got caught up in conversation with the man who lived at the house. He told me that when his tires were slashed he missed work the next morning, lost his job, and he was trying to sell his belongings so that his house would not get foreclosed on. It just goes to show that those who live in poverty are basically playing a game of Jenga. One wrong move, and their whole life comes crashing down. A simple act of vandalism was the hypothetical block that caused my neighbor’s “jenga tower” to crumble. Many others who live in poverty face similar battles. The second chapter of this book is titled “Work Doesn’t Work”. The chapter name is meant to be taken literally. In some cases, working just doesn’t cut it for some people, especially those who live in poverty. Unfortunately, the government makes it very difficult for poor people to overcome their difficult situations even if the individual has an adequate education. In addition, poverty is particularly difficult to conquer when there are children in the picture. Shipler used the story of Caroline Payne to illustrate this. Even though Caroline has an associate’s degree, she still has had a difficult getting back on her feet. After she and her husband got a divorce, Caroline has been in and out of jobs. She is not only seeking work to create a better life for herself, but she is also focusing on the well-being of her children. Caroline’s daughter, Amber, requires special attention because she was molested by her father and is slightly mentally retarded. Caroline was unable to keep up with the stresses of her work and home life, so she was forced to send her daughter to live in Indiana with one of her son’s spouses. Although, Caroline was working to create a better life for her and her family, her class identification prevented her from achieving that. Finally, the fifth chapter of this book explores the some of the stereotypes that are held by employers. Many people in poverty may have been in trouble with the law, been in bad situations, or may have been involved with drugs. Not only do these factors contribute to their …show more content…
In this course, we discussed the importance of social work practice with families. This practiced is favored by many social workers because it builds a support system for the clients and helps them overcome their difficult times (Birkenmaier, Berg-Weger, & Dewees, 2011). Similarly, in chapter seven of The Working Poor Shipler stresses the importance of kinship for families who live in poverty. He used the story of the King family to illustrate this. Their story showed how helpful it can be to have family on your side during difficult times. They helped one another overcome drug addictions, Kara’s health problems, and their overall financial crisis. They used their love and loyalty to one another to overcome the most difficult times. No matter what the crisis, family can be a powerful tool to help clients to conquer their