Book review

Shipler, David. The Working Poor: Invisible in America. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2004.


David Shipler, who won a Pulitzer Prize for his novel: “Arab and Jew: Wounded Spirits in a Promised Land,” turns his focus to “the working poor” in the United States in his new book: “The Working Poor: Invisible in America.” He examines the lives of the working class and the forces which keep these people living in poverty. The impoverished population is just as diverse as the entire nation. Shipler shatters our notion of two classes of the poor—the deserving poor who work full time jobs, but still cannot rise above the poverty line, and therefore, deserve government assistance; and the undeserving, who should not receive government assistance since their fate is due to personal failings. Distinctions between these two groups are truly nonexistent; the impoverished in each group suffer from poor health conditions, family sickness/death, inadequate housing, poor budgeting skills, and layoffs or terminations. These factors create a vicious circle in their lives that restrains them from rising above poverty.

Through case-studies, Shipler analyzes the lives of about a dozen individuals and their families. Their stories are depressing, yet poignant; however, their accurate representation of the population is sometimes questionable. He incorporates quotes from the interviews he has with these people, and in some cases purposely makes them seem ignorant and uneducated. By describing their demeanor and laugh, he presents an image of those in the working class. Another failing of Shipler’s, is his portrayal of economic law. In an interview with a garment factory employer, Shipler does not criticize the employer’s claim that if the wages of the working class were increased, prices would also increase. Economic law tells us that if wages increase, so would prices, but it would not offset the gain that people earning minimum wage would make. Shipler fails to make the point that there is not a one-to-one relationship between prices and wages.

Also disappointing is Shipler’s portrayal of a young, unaffectionate single-mother. He describes one woman and her situation: “…a nineteen-year-old who already had three children, one a boy who was three years and four months but weighed only twenty-two and a half pounds…Now she was working at McDonald’s at just above the minimum wage, supplemented by $72 a month in food stamps” (pgs. 211-212). Shipler expands on this by saying that while the young mother worked her mother would watch the youngsters, and her immature, defiant-looking boyfriend occasionally helped, as well. His goal is to convince the reader that teenage mothers who are forced to work at minimum-wage jobs cannot properly raise children. He also describes the woman’s disinterest in her children’s eating habits. Shipler places blame on the young woman for her disinterest, rather than calling for more help by the government.

With criticism aside, Shipler is loyal to his initial promise to keep the novel politically unbiased. He claims that neither Democrats nor Republicans know the solution to poverty in America. He also never portrays a hero versus villain dilemma; he simply describes the power of many employers and how they display such characteristics—sometimes in the interest of their employees, and sometimes not. He dismantles the American Myth, which tells people that if they work hard enough, they will someday achieve adequate financial status. Moreover, he alerts us to the American Anti-Myth, which claims: due to the system, it is impossible for the poor to rise. Through his writing, Shipler makes his reader feel admiration for “the working poor,” disgust for unsympathetic individuals who are uninterested in the plight of others, and disappointment in our government. It is by creating these reactions that he challenges us to change society.