Caught in the Storm and Under the Cover of Kindness are books that both provide an introspective view of social work. Although, the viewpoints from which they are written are complete opposites. Caught in the Storm makes the profession of social work seem easy and highly idealistic, while Under the Cover of Kindness is a critical and at times harsh analysis of social work. The books share differences and similarities and ultimately raise the question of what is considered to be morally and ethically correct. Several themes are present in both works. The first chapter of Caught in the Storm presents the process of applying for grants, collecting data, and formal program evaluations. Program evaluations can be helpful when applying for grants
…show more content…
A strength to Margolin’s novel is that it provides an accurate critique of the pitfalls of the beginning of the social work profession. His harsh depiction of social work is helpful in understanding what has changed within the profession since its inception. Another positive Margolin brings to his argument is his outside perspective, because it allows the social work profession to view its faults and weaknesses and improve upon them. Margolin’s biggest shortcoming is his inability to recognize the improvements the profession has made. This weakens his argument as modern social work has changed immensely since its …show more content…
Caught in the Storm portrays an impossible standard for the social work profession to live up to. The characters in the story hardly experience any hardships or struggles, and it could be damaging for social workers to compare themselves to these characters. The idealistic and simplistic perspective this book lends to social work creates a misleading representation of the profession. Under the Cover of Kindness depicts the beginnings of social work correctly, but it fails to incorporate the many improvements that have been made. He continues to criticize social work through an outdated and uninformed lens. Wakefield (1998) states in his evaluation of Margolin that, “Although well written and engaging, the book offers more of a caricature of social work than a serious argument about the profession’s mission” (p.
A strength to Margolin’s novel is that it provides an accurate critique of the pitfalls of the beginning of the social work profession. His harsh depiction of social work is helpful in understanding what has changed within the profession since its inception. Another positive Margolin brings to his argument is his outside perspective, because it allows the social work profession to view its faults and weaknesses and improve upon them. Margolin’s biggest shortcoming is his inability to recognize the improvements the profession has made. This weakens his argument as modern social work has changed immensely since its …show more content…
Caught in the Storm portrays an impossible standard for the social work profession to live up to. The characters in the story hardly experience any hardships or struggles, and it could be damaging for social workers to compare themselves to these characters. The idealistic and simplistic perspective this book lends to social work creates a misleading representation of the profession. Under the Cover of Kindness depicts the beginnings of social work correctly, but it fails to incorporate the many improvements that have been made. He continues to criticize social work through an outdated and uninformed lens. Wakefield (1998) states in his evaluation of Margolin that, “Although well written and engaging, the book offers more of a caricature of social work than a serious argument about the profession’s mission” (p.