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It's not utterly comprehensive, but I suppose it is a nice nuanced introduction into the field. Dec 15, Kevin rated it it was amazing. We've got a lot of work to do to address poverty. Makes me feel both hopeless and hopeful. Mar 26, Ruth Ann rated it liked it Shelves: The strength of this book is Edelman's historical summary of the U. He begins with Roosevelt's New Deal but the majority of the book focuses on 's's.

I became familiar with how the welfare system was cut during the Reagan administration and how it was completely dismantled in when Clinton was in office.

But even though welfare as an entitlement no longer existed, the poor received assistance from SNAP Supplemental Nutrition Assistance whic The strength of this book is Edelman's historical summary of the U. Though there were statistics and facts to illustrate the number of people living in poverty and the percentage of Americans living below the poverty line at various times in history, I thought too much of the analysis was biased opinion.

For example, when talking about education reform, he states that charter schools and Teach for America are positive steps but he doesn't cite any studies or research to support his opinion. Hmm - I detect bias here and it made me question some of the author's other conclusions. This book mostly focused on inner city poverty.

So Rich, So Poor: Why It's So Hard to End Poverty in America

I would have been interested to hear more about poverty on reservations, rural poverty, veterans issues, and poverty due to mental illness. It seems that the solutions would be different and that perhaps many of the above programs might not provide relief for these subgroups. Jan 18, Kay rated it liked it Shelves: How can you not enjoy this delightful little nugget of a book?

Edelman writes as an elder statesman, reflecting on his decades of experience in anti-poverty work. This is a knowing, plain spoken account from the front lines of the War on Poverty and beyond. A previous reviewer here on Goodreads noted that Edelman seems to select his best practices at random. I don't believe that's the case. He simply highlights the good work of those close How can you not enjoy this delightful little nugget of a book?

He simply highlights the good work of those close to him.


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The book isn't light on data—the appendix's many Urban Institute citations makes this clear—but it is a more colloquial scan of the field. Any of Edelman's sentences could be and likely already is the thesis statement for a full, page book. Why write two hundred pages on policy and program development, then situate the book in terms of mass movements like Occupy? All in all, this is a worthwhile read, both as an introduction for novices and as a pithy reflection for the well versed.

Nov 13, Matt rated it really liked it Shelves: This is a surprising book, it's almost a biography of the fight against poverty in this country, told by someone who's been through a good part of it. Edelman does an excellent job using facts and figures to paint a none too pretty picture of poverty in the United States from the late s to the present day approximately Even if you don't agree with his proposed solutions, Edelman does a a great job of portraying the scope of the problem in a very human way.

Numbers and statistics are This is a surprising book, it's almost a biography of the fight against poverty in this country, told by someone who's been through a good part of it. Numbers and statistics are provided to back everything up and it would be very easy for the book to rely so heavily on numbers that it becomes easy for the reader to forget that these are real people, but Edelman does a great job of keeping things grounded, and keeping the human element at the center.

Dec 06, Jennifer rated it liked it. This book did a good job of describing the problem of poverty in America and expressing the author's nostalgia for Bobby Kennedy. He makes the excellent point that the elderly are in poverty in far fewer numbers than families with children because the elderly vote and children can't. The great recession disproportionally hurt minorities and families with children. He also highlights that low wage jobs have proliferated in the last 40 years as a proportion of available jobs. The solutions he put This book did a good job of describing the problem of poverty in America and expressing the author's nostalgia for Bobby Kennedy.

The solutions he puts forth to the ongoing, entrenched poverty in our nation didn't feel realistic, especially in the current political climate. Dec 28, Kristi rated it really liked it. An incredibly helpful historical review of the economics and social drivers of current public assistance programs. I have a better understanding of the reasons why things are as they are and can understand the logic.

The federal government wants to reduce the amount of people living in poverty and extreme poverty by providing tax benefits and public assistance to compliment faith based and nonprofit outreach. Still want more understanding about the generational nature of poverty, but these kinds An incredibly helpful historical review of the economics and social drivers of current public assistance programs. Still want more understanding about the generational nature of poverty, but these kinds of readings help paint a picture.

Apr 20, May rated it liked it Shelves: Also available as an e-book. So Rich, So Poor. Before we have one more discussion of how America can combat its persistent and growing levels of poverty, could everyone please read this book?

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Much has changed in forty-five years, but as Peter eloquently reminds us, far too many Americans remain trapped in the web of economic injustice. His compassionate and singular voice awakens our conscience and calls us to action. Peter Edelman is masterful on the issue. With a real-world grasp of politics and the economy, Edelman makes a brilliantly compelling case for what can and must be done.

Books by Peter Edelman. Not a Crime to Be Poor. The Criminalization of Poverty in America. You may also be interested in. It's the ideas featured in this book that lead me to believe we can still be great. Thanks for the eye opening experience. This is a through exploration of the American problem of poverty.

I found most informative Edelman's tracing of the drug laws, to more imprisoned minorities, to single women head of household, to low wages for women, to increased poverty in the nation. I took away one star because excessive documentation at times made difficult reading.


  • So Rich, So Poor: Why It's So Hard to End Poverty in America by Peter Edelman.
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One of the best books on poverty I've read in a while. Edelman has a clear worldview, which some people will be turned off by, but I appreciate that his work tries to offer solutions instead of constantly beating the dead horse of what has gone wrong. A great overview of the issues related to poverty in America. The book contains a lot of sound facutual information not just opinions and philosophy. Professor Edelman brings a rich and diverse experience to the issue.

This is very readable and I highly recommend it. Although I don't support all of Edelman's comments about the right, he does clear up the welfare myths I believed for years. The big dilemma is those most affected by poverty are at the mercy of their parents and the system. I think it's not unreasonable for a wealthy country such as ours, to provide these innocent children with food, medical care and a good education.

And I have to add that our teachers are the ones that will have to instill moral values and respect, lessons that many won't get at home. Education is the only way out of poverty, being prepared to enter college or a needed trade -- no matter whether you are in inner-city LA or Pigs-Knuckles Missouri -- is the key to success. Manufacturing jobs are gone because Americans want inexpensive products, corporations want larger profit margins and unions want higher wages for their members; there's enough blame to go around.

Although Edelman touched on individual responsibility, he didn't go too deep.

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Where I live, the highest poverty is among single parents There is shared responsibility, unfortunately it's not the two irresponsible parents that suffer; it's the children. I don't want to just complain about the problem, I want to help end this crisis without throwing more tax dollars at it This book depicts poverty in US especially people of color.

One does not realize how poverty affects the prevention of upward mobility of the poor in this country with its vast wealth and resources. For many people of color poverty is like a cycle.

So Rich, So Poor: Why It's So Hard to End Poverty in America - Peter B. Edelman - Google Книги

I'd recommend this book for all Americans to read and hopefully they will get a better understanding of what it means to be poor in America. One person found this helpful.

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Peter Edelman's past experience working for Robert Kennedy and Bill Clinton gives him the big picture of what is happening to the poor in the United States over the last 60 years. Excellent for statistics and proof that we are not taking care of our own. He has suggestions for how to get the U. See all 32 reviews.

So Rich, So Poor: Why It’s So Hard to End Poverty in America

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