Shipler, David. The Working Poor: Invisible in America.

• Author: Zawicki, Kathy A.
• Position: Book Review

Shipler, David. The Working Poor: Invisible in America. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2004. iv + 300 pp. Cloth, $25.00.

David Shipler's The Working Poor is a journalistic account of those struggling to survive in the United States in the wake of the federal welfare-reform mandates of 1996. Shipler contends that many in the United States have been left behind as a result of these provisions, and his work here focuses specifically on the employed who have been left behind. As this has occurred during a time of a supposedly burgeoning American prosperity, Shipler is of the belief that the situation is (or should be) a disgrace to all Americans.

Shipler's work is not merely a liberal screed decrying the elements of Social Darwinism present in the modern-day United States. Those who Shipler identifies as desperately poor, lacking necessary medical care, and struggling to meet basic daily living expenses are those who are not only working, but, in many cases, working the equivalent of full-time jobs. In theory, at least, it would seem preposterous that those who have full-time jobs could be impoverished, yet The Working Poor provides numerous examples of many such instances. It is Shipler's belief that while some of the blame for those who have fallen to the wayside may be laid at the feet of the individuals themselves, and that some measure of blame may also be placed squarely on the American economic system, more important than assigning blame is to create awareness of the problem and pursue proactive and creative means to remedy the situation.

To this end, the main substance of The Working Poor is comprised of interviews and case histories that span a well-balanced sample of the U.S. population. Included are individuals and families from Washington, D.C.; Akron, Ohio; rural New Hampshire; Los Angeles; and, various farming communities in North Carolina, in addition to other locations around the nation. Those whose stories are presented in these pages are in many instances very forthcoming about rather private details of their lives. This is perhaps largely and almost certainly due to the depth of Shipler's commitment to this project, as he devoted over five years to the research and writing of this book.

Shipler's time was well-spent, as these personal accounts provide the most compelling and effective support for his contentions. Significantly, the accounts do not function merely as diversionary or entertaining stories; they are varied...