Book Club - The working Poor.

The first thing that comes to mind when reading the book The Working Poor is that the author seems to paint a picture that poor people are idiots; and after the first seventy-seven pages, that is the only conclusion to be drawn.  The author--David Shipler--gives stories of poor people all across America.  The people are white, black, Asian, and Hispanic, they are maids, construction workers, drug addicts, alcoholics, and Walmart associates.  The author gives reasons of why certain people are poor, with the main reasons being they were from a poor family, or were middle class and married, and then became divorced and poor.  There are several stories and scenarios given in which poor people squander money and/or opportunities.  There were the dozens of families mentioned who were collecting welfare, yet, somehow were able to consistently pay ninety dollar cable bills, there were the stories of poor and struggling families, living pay-check-to-pay-check, who once they received their tax return they immediately bought a new TV or sofa.

Overall the book reminds me of a quote I once heard, the quote was somethings this:  "Two young brothers grew up in a broken home.  Their mother died when they were young, they were poor, and their father was an alcoholic who constantly beat and berated them.  Many years later when the young boys were both adults and in their thirties, a journalist interviewed them.  The first boy was a drug addict and alcoholic, and was severely in debt.  The journalist interviewed him and asked him, "why do you think you ended up the way you did?" to which the man replied.  "With my childhood, how can you expect me to be anything but a drug addict and alcoholic."  The journalist nodded, he then went and interviewed the other brother.  The other brother was a famous lawyer, he defended the weak and defenseless in court, and had written several best-selling books about being poor and becoming a famous high powered attorney.  The journalist asked him, "why do you think you ended up the way you did?"  to which he replied, "With my childhood, how can you expect me to do anything but help out the poor and defenseless.""

If the author's main point is to get the reader to dislike poor people, he is accomplishing his task.