A People's History of Poverty in America: (The New Press People's Histories) (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Howard Zinn (Series Editor)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

A sweeping, revelatory history of poverty in America from the nineteenth century to today, told through the eyes and experiences of the poor themselves. "When you live in a shelter, other people control your life. They tell you when you may come in and when you must go out. They tell you when you can take your shower and when you can wash your clothing."—from A People's History of Poverty and Welfare in America

In this compulsively readable social history, a brilliant new addition to The New Press's acclaimed People's History series, political scientist Stephen Pimpare vividly describes poverty from the perspective of poor and welfare-reliant Americans from the big city to the rural countryside. He focuses on how the poor have created community, secured shelter, and found food and illuminates their battles for dignity and respect.

Through prodigious archival research and lucid analysis, Pimpare details the ways in which charity and aid for the poor have been inseparable, more often than not, from the scorn and disapproval of those who would help them. In the rich and often surprising historical testimonies he has collected from the poor in America, Pimpare overturns any simple conclusions about how the poor see themselves or what it feels like to be poor—and he shows clearly that the poor are all too often aware that charity comes with a price. It is that price that Pimpare eloquently questions in this book, reminding us through powerful anecdotes, some heart-wrenching and some surprisingly humorous, that poverty is not simply a moral failure.

About the Author

Stephen Pimpare is the author of The New Victorians: Poverty, Politics, and Propaganda in Two Gilded Ages. He teaches American politics and social welfare policy at Yeshiva College and the Wurzweiler School of Social Work.


Howard Zinn is professor emeritus at Boston University. He is the author of numerous books including A People’s History of the United States, the award-winning Declarations of Independence, and Failure to Quit, as well as the recent memoir You Can’t Be Neutral on a Moving Train and the play Marx in Soho.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: New Press (November 17, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565849345
• ISBN-13: 978-1565849341
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #518,532 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb Book Fills Much Needed Gap in Literature, May 12, 2009

By	Cali LaRue (Portland, OR USA) - See all my reviews

Finally a book that traces poverty in the U.S. in historical perspective, and through the voices of the poor themselves. Read it to learn about the lived experience of poverty. This is a must read for social scientists and everyday people alike. Well-written with succinct, insightful analysis by the author. Take it from someone who has first hand experience and has studied the subject for a long time---this book is well worth the price. You won't be able to put it down.

0 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars If you hate America, you'll love this book!, May 16, 2009

By	Dressmaker (Silicon Valley) - See all my reviews

This is a bizarre book. The author's attitude is clear by page 5, where he states, "But Americans are callous, when not merely indifferent, and we have been throughout most of our history." The rest of the book is a screed against, well, practically everything and everyone except the poor: impersonal and intrusive government programs (there is no other kind), manipulative and self-interested private charities (ditto), oblivious and insensitive philanthropists (ditto)--you name it. No one who isn't poor knows what it's like, he says, and so in their ignorance and arrogance, self-important benefactors and institutions inevitably show contempt for the poor, who generally have superior characters because of their familiarity with suffering.

On page 114 he has a section titled "Rethinking Responsibility," where he posits that it's the *responsible* choice of poor women to go on welfare (and not work) so that they can stay home to take care of their kids! We're supposed to *admire* women who deliberately choose to let taxpayers support them and their families instead of working. Incredible. I know a lot of working mothers--I didn't realize they were so neglectful, earning a paycheck instead of going on the dole! Wow, I guess they don't love their children as much as welfare mothers do, otherwise they'd stop working and go on public assistance. The book is full of this upside-down attitude.

Pimpare seems to have the 1960s counter-culture idea that the government should provide no-strings-attached welfare *indefinitely* to anyone who wants it at any time. I don't begrudge anyone a safety net when they need it, but that's just crazy, as well as unsustainable. Pimpare searches out any instance he can find of charity gone wrong (a 19th century magnate serving ham sandwiches to poor Jewish children, for example) and NO examples of the countless good works and invaluable aid that has been provided to the needy by agencies both public and private throughout the history of our country, both at home and around the world.