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Poorly Understood: What America Gets Wrong About Poverty 1st Edition

by Mark Robert Rank (Author), Lawrence M. Eppard (Author), Heather E. Bullock (Author)

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What if the idealized image of American society—a land of opportunity that will reward hard work with economic success—is completely wrong?

Few topics have as many myths, stereotypes, and misperceptions surrounding them as that of poverty in America. The poor have been badly misunderstood since the beginnings of the country, with the rhetoric only ratcheting up in recent times. Our current era of fake news, alternative facts, and media partisanship has led to a breeding ground for all types of myths and misinformation to gain traction and legitimacy.

Poorly Understood is the first book to systematically address and confront many of the most widespread myths pertaining to poverty. Mark Robert Rank, Lawrence M. Eppard, and Heather E. Bullock powerfully demonstrate that the realities of poverty are much different than the myths; indeed in many ways they are more disturbing. The idealized image of American society is one of abundant opportunities, with hard work being rewarded by economic prosperity. But what if this picture is wrong? What if poverty is an experience that touches the majority of Americans? What if hard work does not necessarily lead to economic well-being? What if the reasons for poverty are largely beyond the control of individuals? And if all of the evidence necessary to disprove these myths has been readily available for years, why do they remain so stubbornly pervasive? These are much more disturbing realities to consider because they call into question the very core of America's identity.

Armed with the latest research, Poorly Understood not only challenges the myths of poverty and inequality, but it explains why these myths continue to exist, providing an innovative blueprint for how the nation can move forward to effectively alleviate American poverty.

ISBN-10

0190881380
ISBN-13

978-0190881382
Edition

1st
Publisher

Oxford University Press
Publication date

March 1, 2021
Language

English
Dimensions

9.4 x 1 x 6.2 inches
Print length

256 pages
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Poor Understood: What America Gets Wrong about Poverty attempts and, in many ways, succeeds at being the magnum opus of introductions to modern American poverty studies. In a well-written, straightforward, and data-forward approach, Mark Robert Rank, Lawrence M. Eppard, and Heather E. Bullock manage to synthesize decades of poverty research toward relinquishing several of America's most coveted myths about social stratification." -- Contemporary Sociology

"Every social worker and social work student who still believes that poverty is a choice should read this book because, as the authors explain so clearly, almost all of us will be among the poor at some point in our lives. The poor are not the Other; they are Us." -- The New Social Worker

"Perhaps most important all, Poorly Understood teases out the misconception that poverty is not a racial problem or a regional problem but an American problem, giving labor and social activists a launching pad from which to delve into a deeper conversation with those standing on the sidelines and stress the urgency of the matter when it comes poverty in America." -- Journal of Working-Class Studies

"Most useful is their call to action around awareness, myth-busting, and moving forward as a society with a clear lens on what people should do next to fight poverty." -- L. T. Grover, CHOICE

"Read now, this account of the factors inhibiting change makes the trillion dollars spent on pandemic-era aid all the more astonishing ... Poorly Understood makes a persuasive case that the risks of falling into poverty are greater than commonly recognized ... the authors are right that poverty is more common than American "myths, stereotypes, and misperceptions" suggest." -- Jason DeParle, New York Review of Books

"A clear, perhaps even elementary text, about the truth about poverty that debunks common beliefs. The authors clarify the truth about poverty and how better wages could make a big difference." -- Jane Henderson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"The St Louis Post-Dispatch listed Poorly Understood as one of their 20 favourite new books in 2021." -- St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"I have often wished for a simple, accessible book that could set the record straight ― something not too jargon-laden, not too academic and not too preachy, the kind of book you could hand to a cynical street cop, your neighbor or your Uncle Fred, and expect that it might actually be read. In "Poorly Understood: What America Gets Wrong About Poverty," Mark Robert Rank, Lawrence M. Eppard and Heather E. Bullock have produced just such a book, setting out to systematically catalogue and debunk the most widely believed myths about poverty and the poor..." -- Rosa Brooks, Georgetown , The Washington Post

"Poorly Understood dispels the myths that have prevented us from addressing our nation's shameful disparities in wealth and income. It should be required reading for every member of Congress. At least the ones that read." -- Al Franken, Media personality, author, and former Minnesota U.S. Senator

"In clear and cogent prose backed up by solid evidence, Poorly Understood explodes the myths about poverty in 21st century America. It is not rare. It is not something that happens only to 'other people.' And the usual bromides about escaping it through hard work, education, and upward mobility no longer hold water. Poverty is more prevalent and deeper than in other industrial nations, and anyone who wants a clear-eyed analysis of why poverty persists and how it can be overcome needs to read this book." -- Douglas S. Massey, Princeton University Professor of Sociology and past President of both the American Sociological Association and the Population Association of America

"This book is more than a data-driven academic exercise. Mark Rank and his co-authors are clear that there are solutions. Reading, I was reminded of my time as an organizer for welfare rights when we chanted 'Adequate Income Now!' and 'Mas Dinero Ahora!' Their final argument is the need to organize to make the change. It has certainly been my life's work, and I hope there are many that heed their call!" -- Wade Rathke, Founder of ACORN International

"Poorly Understood presents essential evidence that will make it much harder for people to ignore poverty as it actually is, rather than as they think or hope it is. If truth matters, this book should have a powerful impact on the politics and policy of a crucially important issue." -- Jennifer Hochschild, Harvard University Professor of Government and Former President of the American Political Science Association

"The American dream is that if you work hard you will get what you deserve. No book lays this myth to rest more clearly and persuasively than Poorly Understood. Sixty percent of Americans will live below the official poverty line for at least one year of their lives, one of dozens of points that will make you rethink poverty in America. And Americans must rethink poverty." -- Jeff Madrick, Senior Fellow at The Century Foundation and author of Invisible Americans: The Tragedy of Child Poverty

"Why do we have so much poverty in America? Mark Rank and his colleagues tell us why. Read their book and you'll know the answer." -- Peter Edelman, Georgetown University Professor of Law and former Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services for Planning and Evaluation

Book Description

Seeks to challenge and debunk these myths, along the way asking tough questions about how and why they have persisted and what it would take to replace them with true stories.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press; 1st edition (March 1, 2021)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0190881380
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0190881382
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.09 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.4 x 1 x 6.2 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #783,678 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #460 in Poverty
- #1,406 in Social Work (Books)
- #4,664 in Social Sciences (Books)

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Mark Robert Rank

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Mark Robert Rank is the Herbert S. Hadley Professor of Social Welfare at Washington University in St. Louis. He is widely recognized as one of the foremost experts on issues of poverty, inequality, and social justice. To date he has written 10 books on a range of subjects, including an exploration of the American Dream, a new understanding of poverty and inequality, and the role of luck and chance in shaping the course of our lives. In addition, he has published many articles in academic journals across a variety of fields.

Rank’s research has been reported widely throughout the news media and cited in virtually every major newspaper in the country, frequently in the New York Times and the Washington Post. He has also been featured in a range of other media outlets including various programs on National Public Radio, NBC Nightly News, the PBS NewsHour, CBS News, CNN, and many others. He has received numerous awards over the years for his scholarship and books.

Rank has provided research expertise to members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, as well as many national organizations involved in issues of economic and social justice. His work has been cited by then-President Barack Obama, as well as Senator Bernie Sanders and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5

84 global ratings

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T J Ganski

The Poor Are of One Divided by Exploitation of Racism

Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2021

Verified Purchase

It is now new to realize that those in need, who are more numerous than any other single demographic in our society that is exploited and played off of one another using racist tropes that only serve to diminish their collective voice. The difference in this book is that it shows clearly the data together with the history that are the foundation of this dynamic.

2 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Incredibly eye opening facts about poverty in America

Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2021

Verified Purchase

All the myths about poverty in America are broken down into easy to understand facts that are powerful and revealing.

Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2021

Verified Purchase

Eye opening. The empathetic nature of this book supported by fantastic data and research should cause many to question their beliefs and hopefully shift their paradigms.

3 people found this helpful

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Serge Danielson-Francois

Factual and persuasive

Reviewed in the United States on April 11, 2021

Verified Purchase

Statistics driven rebuttal of the myths surrounding equality of opportunity in America. Rank et al. expose the reluctant social safety net and place a spotlight on the marginalized in our post-industrial economy

8 people found this helpful

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Melissa Phillips

Spelling mistakes

Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2021

Verified Purchase

Quite a few spelling mistakes in the book which make me question the quality of the data and reporting. Great concept and easy to read but distracted by the grammatical errors- did anyone edit this?

4 people found this helpful

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Janay

Worth your time and an easy to understand read

Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2021

Verified Purchase

Thoroughly enjoyed this work of research and reasoning

Reviewed in the United States on September 24, 2021

Having personally experienced poverty myself and the stereotypes associated with it, I highly recommend this book if you want to be educated about how poverty actually works in America.

2 people found this helpful

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FIENOLOBODHI

False premise that money measures poverty

Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2023

This book fails to understand that it is the generational poverty that is bad and unfair. The book implies that all poverty is bad and must be solved. For example, it claims that "60% Americans experienced poverty", by using the false definition that "they lived for 12 months under the poverty line". This is a very shallow observation. Many starving students are like that, but they eventually rise.

The real problem of poverty is generational poverty, those poor folks that don't stand a chance. But for that problem, statistically it is less about money than about state of mind. In that sense, many of the "ugly stereotypes" about poverty do have certain validity, and you can't fix those issues by being in denial about personal responsibility and blaming "the system" instead.

Bottom line: Using money as the measure of "poverty" is very flawed. The lack of money of people who want to not prioritize making money (e.g. "starving students") does not make them "poor people".

One person found this helpful

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