Urban Injustice: How Ghettos Happen (Paperback)

~ Dr. David Hilfiker (Author)
Key Phrases: official poverty level, African Americans, United States, World War (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Hilfiker, a white doctor who has worked with homeless and HIV-positive men in Washington, D.C., for nearly 20 years, begins by noting, "[W]hen most Americans think about poverty, or see the poor on television, or read about them in the newspapers, the images are of poor black men hanging around the street corner, poor black teenagers selling drugs, poor black single mothers living on welfare, poor black inner-city schools failing their children." Yet only 12% of the nation's poor are African-American, according to his extrapolation from the 2000 census. In a calm, thoughtful yet impassioned voice, Hilfiker sets out to explain why this state of affairs persists, tracing the failure of programs to alleviate poverty, from Reconstruction through the New Deal to the contemporary battles over welfare. He is even brave enough to suggest solutions for the end of poverty and ghettos, to "remove this stain upon our American democracy." This accessible, clearly written book includes an excellent annotated bibliography and may inspire ordinary people to work toward full desegregation of our society.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

Hilfiker is a compassionate white doctor who has spent more than two decades living with the poor and practicing "poverty medicine" in Washington, DC. He began doctoring with the premise that with sufficient "strengthening" he could turn his patients' lives around. This book represents his exploration of that failed premise and his answer to why African American poverty is intransigent and structural. He includes an especially good chapter on welfare history, including the 1960s "skirmish" on poverty. The last chapter suggests very practical public policies and budgets that could win a real war on poverty if the United States would surmount the political problems inherent in it. Hilfiker's two previous books, the prize-winning Healing the Wounds and Not All of Us Are Saints, are reflections on a doctor's work and patients. Clear and authoritative without being academic, this title is good reading for those who don't want to wade into texts by William Julius Wilson or Michael B. Katz, leading scholars of similar proclivity. Recommended for public libraries and for high school and college students. Janice Dunham, John Jay Coll. Lib., CUNY
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Seven Stories Press; 1st Trade Pbk. Ed edition (September 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1583226079
• ISBN-13: 978-1583226070
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #467,531 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars worth reading, June 21, 2003

By	Bob (San Diego) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Urban Injustice: How Ghettos Happen (Hardcover)

It is written by a doctor who has been working with innner city patients for over two decades. He understands their medical and psychosocial issues very well but he was puzzled by many things. Including, how is it that there is such sharp geographical clustering of poverty, how is this cycle perpetuated from one generation to the next, how does 'govt. assistance' work and how is it designed?

He tried to find the answers by surveying the sociological, economic, and public policy literature. He describes his book as the type of resource he wished he had access to in medical school. The book itself is only about 130 pages (not including endnotes which were quite interesting). Anyway, I found it to be very interesting and it is totally readable in one sitting so busy people might like it.

Because my understanding of what he was trying to explain is very unsophisitcated, I couldn't read the book with a critical eye (except one type where I'm quite sure he meant "integration" instead of "segregation" but that was just one word.)

I do warn you that it isn't a cozy book (although it wasn't a screamin' shockin', bleedin' liberal tryst either, thank goodness). Just so you're prepared.

5.0 out of 5 stars How Racism Created the Ghettos, May 1, 2009

By	Daniel K. West (Columbus, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As a physician, David Hilfiker saw first hand the effects of crushing poverty on the black inner city poor. Rather than blame them for thier situation, he dove into the underlying problems and the deep seated racism that had created the ghettos. He handily demolishes many of the urban legends about the poor and builds a much different picture in it's place. For such a slim volume, this is a powerful work. I highly recommend it.

4.0 out of 5 stars Book Review, February 28, 2008

By	Molywoly (RI) - See all my reviews

I bought this book for a psychology class I am taking and this book is very knowledgeable and easy to follow.