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Summary Of The Working Poor Invisible In America By David Shipler

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“The Working Poor: Invisible in America”, written by David Shipler (2004), portrayed many families who faced extreme barriers that directly impacted their families and affected the quality of their lives. This book not only gave the reader a sense of America’s social justice issues, but it also allowed the reader an opportunity to take a look inside the lives of real people struggling with social, economic, and cultural barriers to achieving the “American Dream”. Among many of the individuals and families in the book, most were barely making it financially, despite large efforts. With respect to social work, David Shipler did a fantastic job opening the eyes of the reader to the problems one might face with clients, and the spiral effects …show more content…

This book shows the saddening truth of why the poor typically stay poor and the many, many obstacles that must be overcome just to “get ahead”. As mentioned above, the families in this book were largely affected by social, economic, and cultural barriers. Barriers of all three structural blocks, can include, but are not limited to, low wages, safe housing, education, job training, language barriers, and religious beliefs. Early in the book, Shipler writes about corrupt public administration, such as banks, check cashing facilities, and tax preparers. These are a few examples of structural economic barriers that families encountered. It is clear to understand while reading, that the working poor are easy targets of abuse by these institutions. Check cashing facilities offer a sense of false hope for the poor who need a “quick loan” to get out of a financial crisis. In chapter one, Shiper discusses the misleading information given by these facilities, such as the interest rates or appealing promises that have bad end results. …show more content…

The lack of proper English and understanding of the American culture was a huge problem for those working in sweatshops in Los Angeles, emphasized profoundly by Shipler. These individuals were unable to escape the low wages they were receiving for many reasons, including lack of English or fear of being deported. A consequential result of language barriers and immigration also affects the ability to obtain proper health care for families and children. In chapter eight, Shipler writes, “ Many legal immigrants are reluctant to accept food stamps or Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program, to which they may be entitled, because they are afraid they will be judged ‘public charges’ and therefore be denied permanent residence leading to citizenship” (Shipler, 207). This is a great example of how families are not receiving benefits they deserve due to fear of deportation or not gaining citizenship. Many of these families may not know be aware of their rights or know where to go for help. There should be reform around these types of scenarios, so families can feel safe accessing

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