The Working Poor Summary

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“Being poor mean’s being unprotected. You might as well try playing quarterback with no helmet, no padding, no training, and no experience, behind a line of hundred-pound weaklings. With no cushion of money, no training in the ways of the wider world, and too little defense against the threats and temptations of decaying communities, a poor man or woman gets sacked again and again-buffeted and bruised and defeated” (Shipler, 2004, pg. 5). David Shipler wrote this in his captivating book The Working Poor: Invisible in America, using a metaphor to describe individuals living in poverty and how they are unprotected and stuck in a vicious cycle. I found Shipler’s metaphor to be really accurate and surprising; it brought both truth and seriousness …show more content…
Shipler finds that children living in poverty are more prone to health problems and dysfunctional families which in turn greatly affect their participation and success in school. This also affects their opportunities and chances after high school. To conclude, Shipler finds that poverty in many cases stands as a barrier to opportunity for children. Chapter 10 addresses job training programs and how they lead to great success for individuals who are living in poverty. Shipler describes two individuals, Ricky and Leary, and how the job training program SOME helped them turn their life around. Shipler finds that overall job training programs and working help workers feel a sense of pride and hope for the future. Chapter 11, the last chapter of the book, discusses how America must began to contemplate what they can do and what it should do to fight poverty. Shipler believes that we need better job training programs and better education on the topic of poverty. Overall he finds that all Americans must begin to deal with the issue on poverty that includes the working poor and start designing programs that …show more content…
This chapter was my favorite because Shipler revealed how family it the glue that holds many individuals in poverty together. Shipler interviews families where the love and compassion in the family is what gave those individuals strength to keep going. To conclude, Shipler finds that it is kinship that keeps people going and helps them endure life’s struggles. I didn’t have a chapter that I disliked, but one that stood out to me was chapter 1. I found chapter 1 really interesting, Shipler shows how many individuals in poverty have wasteful spending habits and how they spend money on non-essential items. This really stood out to me; I feel that it is crucial that we educate individuals in poverty so they can have a better outcome to climb out of poverty. One thing that the book opened my eyes to is how living in poverty is a trap and an endless cycle for many individuals in which they can’t get out of. The various policies and wages throughout the years make it extremely hard for low wage workers to get on their feet and out of

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