Customer Reviews

One Nation, Underprivileged: Why American Poverty Affects Us All

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From its riveting cover photograph to the call to action in the final chapter, this book held my attention and made me think about poverty in this country in a way I never had before. As a scientist, it takes more than stirring rhetoric to affect my thinking about important issues like this one; it takes a coherent argument supported by checkable facts. And that is precisely what the book delivers (along with some stirring rhetoric). Two important points stand out in my mind. First, poverty isn't something that just happens to other kinds of people, as the author demonstrates through careful analysis of several large, longitudinal data sets; second, poverty is not the result of personal deficiencies, neither moral, motivational, or intellectual weaknesses (as conservatives would claim) nor educational Rather, poverty is a necessary consequence of the current structure of our economic and social systems. As the book points out, however, this does mean the problem is unsolvable. This is an important book that goes beyond the usual partisan positions to propose a new paradigm for the analysis and remediation of socioeconomic inequalities, and I strongly recommend it!

"One Nation, Underprivileged" is a wonderful companion book to both David Shipler's "The Working Poor" and Barbara Ehrenreich's "Nickel and Dimed." While Shipler and Ehrenreich do a great job in providing in-depth accounts of surviving in poverty, Rank's book provides a tremendously helpful context for understanding why poverty occurs in the first place, and what we can do about it. If you've read either Shipler or Ehrenreich, definitely read Rank's book to fill out the picture. It provides the arguments and substance to truly understand the issue of poverty.

This book brings into the mainstream the fundamentals of poverty that are largely ignored or unknown by the general public. The information is solid. The writing, unfortunately, leaves something to be desired. The text is redundant and didactic, and on the level of the sentence, it's boring. A better writer could have written this book in about two-thirds the pages. You could read selected chapters of this book for key concepts, but unless you need the same metaphors pitched to you ten different ways, pick one of the many better written povery exposés out there.

This is a book that every American concerned with the issue of poverty ought to be familiar with. It's extremely readable, yet rock solid in terms of its arguments and research. The author provides a powerful new starting point for challenging the conventional wisdom regarding American poverty. But he also provides us with a strong moral framework for why it is so important to address this issue. It couldn't have come at a more important time. A terrific book!

We have so often in this country thought of poverty as something that affects someone else. Yet what is remarkable about this book is how the author develops the argument that poverty affects us all. For example, by looking at the risk of poverty across the life course, Rank is able to show that between two thirds and three quarters of all Americans will experience at least one year of their lives below the poverty line.

Even more remarkable is that two thirds of Americans will use some type of welfare program (food stamps, AFDC, SSI, etc.) between the ages of 20 and 65. These are truly remarkable statistics that demonstrate how widespread poverty is across the life course.

Rank argues that such an understanding can shift the way we think about and act towards the issue of poverty. By realizing that the reduction of poverty is in all of our self-interests, we have a much stronger motivation to become actively engaged.

He also develops two other very interesting arguments around the topics of values and citizenship, that again show why poverty is an issue that affects us all.

I found the author's writing to be eloquent, and I found his arguments to be very persuasive. If you're at all interested in the issues of poverty, inequality, and/or social justice, this is the book for you.

In my opinion, this is the most important and significant book on American poverty to be published in the last 10 to 15 years. It is extremely impressive in terms of its originality, readability, and scope of the research it presents. If you've ever wondered why the United States has such high rates of poverty and what we can do about it, "One Nation, Underprivileged" is without a doubt the place to begin.

One of the best descriptions for this excellent book comes from Marian Wright Edelman of the Children's Defense Fund, who writes on the back of the jacket, "America is a wealthy land filled with poverty and economic insecurity that deny millions of our children a fair start in life. One Nation, Underprivileged attacks the problem with new and often surprising research, strong moral values, an ear for real people's voices, and a powerful sense of optimism. Mark Rank reveals how we all share the economic, social, personal, and moral costs of economic insecurity in America and shows why and how we can fight back."

I belong to a book club that focuses on current social issues. One Nation, Underprivileged was our book of the month last week, and it generated a wonderful discussion. It provided a really helpful framework to discuss the issues of poverty and inequality in the United States, and what is and should be our role in addressing these critical problems. We all agreed that this was one of the most thought provoking books we've read during the past year.

Anyone interested in the well being of our country should read this book. It is clearly written, interesting, and compelling. We like to think of our nation as one of the greatest in the world, yet this book clearly shows how we have been a failure at creating a land of opportunity for all of our citizens.

One Nation, Underprivileged illustrates that poverty is not the problem of a small set of people, but it affects us all. Further, it is our responsibility to work to change the structure of our system. The author provides a variety of ways in which each of us, as individuals, can become involved in working for social justice.

I plan to encourage my students, friends, and colleagues to read this book. Any informed citizen should know what it has to say.

I picked up this book last week and could barely put it down. Several of my friends had highly recommended it, and they sure were right. It pulls together so many important pieces in terms of making the argument that poverty impacts us all. But "One Nation, Underprivileged" is also about transforming America into the kind of society we can all be proud of. A society, as the author says, that "melds the best of America - its creativity, freedoms, and energy - within a framework of concern, caring, and cooperation." During this election year, "One Nation, Underprivileged" ought to be mandatory reading for both the electorate and those who are running for office. Eye-opening, provocative, and extremely relevant!