Hand to Mouth: Living in Bootstrap America, by Linda Tirado (2014), is a first-hand account of what it is like to be a poor person living in America. The way in which this book is written, makes the reader feel guilty and uncomfortable in order to make the story stick. This book not only confirmed my prior knowledge on poor people’s experiences, but it has also opened by eyes to other topics I had not considered.
Tirado wastes no time in shutting down the misconception of why poor people have children. She explains poor families with children have a stereotype placed on them, people think the only reason they are having children is to get more benefits from the government. She writes, “Truth time: We do not breed for sweet, sweet government cheese” (p. …show more content…
And it’s no wonder, really, considering, the lives we lead. Yet many of our employers actually seem to think it’s reasonable to require unfeigned good cheer in their employees, and this I don’t get. (p.67)
The working poor are held to an unfair standard. If working a low paying job forty plus hours a week wasn’t enough, these individuals are expected to pretend like they hadn’t had the worst week ever and put a smile on their face. They are forced to work in these labor-intensive jobs in order to make due, and show gratefulness for the job.
Hand to Mouth: Living in Bootstrap America, was an extremely refreshing read. Though most of the things Tirado discussed I was already aware of, I really enjoyed hearing the hard truth from someone who went through it, and wasn’t afraid to say how she really felt. Sex was one of the topics that took me by surprise. This was not because I didn’t think poor people had sex, but because this topic is taboo to talk about, for anyone. Though we talk a lot about how the males and females are judged differently in regard to sex, the way poor people are judged for it had not crossed my mind until I read this book. Tirado
Tirado wastes no time in shutting down the misconception of why poor people have children. She explains poor families with children have a stereotype placed on them, people think the only reason they are having children is to get more benefits from the government. She writes, “Truth time: We do not breed for sweet, sweet government cheese” (p. …show more content…
And it’s no wonder, really, considering, the lives we lead. Yet many of our employers actually seem to think it’s reasonable to require unfeigned good cheer in their employees, and this I don’t get. (p.67)
The working poor are held to an unfair standard. If working a low paying job forty plus hours a week wasn’t enough, these individuals are expected to pretend like they hadn’t had the worst week ever and put a smile on their face. They are forced to work in these labor-intensive jobs in order to make due, and show gratefulness for the job.
Hand to Mouth: Living in Bootstrap America, was an extremely refreshing read. Though most of the things Tirado discussed I was already aware of, I really enjoyed hearing the hard truth from someone who went through it, and wasn’t afraid to say how she really felt. Sex was one of the topics that took me by surprise. This was not because I didn’t think poor people had sex, but because this topic is taboo to talk about, for anyone. Though we talk a lot about how the males and females are judged differently in regard to sex, the way poor people are judged for it had not crossed my mind until I read this book. Tirado