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RESEARCH GUIDES
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion: Socioeconomic Status
Focuses on specific aspects of diversity such as race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation/gender identity, creed, and socioeconomic status
Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. VanceFrom a former marine and Yale Law School graduate, a powerful account of growing up in a poor Rust Belt town.... Hillbilly Elegy is a passionate and personal analysis of a culture in crisis—that of white working-class Americans. The decline of this group... has been reported on with growing frequency and alarm, but has never before been written about as searingly from the inside.
Call Number: HD8073 .V37 A3 2016
Divided: The Perils of Our Growing Inequality by David Cay Johnston, Ed.Compiled by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist David Cay Johnston, Divided gathers the writings of leading scholars, activists and journalists to provide an illuminating, multifaceted look at inequality. Combining surprising statistical evidence with penetrating new analysis, the contributors explore the devastating implications that income inequality has on areas as diverse as education, justice, healthcare, social mobility and political representation.
Call Number: HM821 .D585 2014
The Price of Inequality by Joseph E. StiglitzThe top 1% of Americans control 40% of the nation's wealth. And, as Joseph E. Stiglitz explains, while those at the top enjoy the best health care, education, and benefits of wealth, they fail to realize that "their fate is bound up with how the other 99% live."Stiglitz draws on his deep understanding of economics to show that growing inequality is not inevitable: moneyed interests compound their wealth by stifling true, dynamic capitalism. The result: a divided society that cannot tackle its most pressing problems.
Class Matters by Correspondents of The New York Times."The collection has the power of a great documentary film: it captures the lives and ideas of its subjects in lively, articulate prose that, while grounded in statistics and research, remains engaging and readable throughout. The result is ... a thoughtful consideration of class dynamics." --Publishers Weekly.
Call Number: HN90.S6 C565 2005
The Missing Class by Katherine S. Newman; Victor Tan ChenFifty-seven million Americansincluding 21 percent of the nation's childrenlive a notch above the poverty line, and yet the challenges they face are largely ignored. Parents often work at a breakneck pace to preserve the progress they have made and are but one divorce or unexpected hospitalization away from sliding into poverty.
Call Number: HD8072.5 .N487 2007
Books and eBooks: Poverty
The American Way of Poverty by Sasha AbramskySelected as A Notable Book of the Year by The New York Times Book Review. Fifty years after Michael Harrington published his groundbreaking book The Other America, in which he chronicled the lives of people excluded from the Age of Affluence, poverty in America is back with a vengeance. It is made up of both the long-term chronically poor and new working poor—the tens of millions of victims of a broken economy ....
Call Number: HC110.P6 A54 2013
The Undeserving Poor by Michael B. KatzFirst published in 1989, The Undeserving Poor was a critically acclaimed and enormously influential account of America's enduring debate about poverty. This new edition is virtually a new book. It will force all concerned Americans to reconsider the foundations of our policies toward the poor, especially in the wake of the Great Recession that began in 2008. Katz highlights how throughout American history, the poor have been regarded as undeserving.
Call Number: HC110.P6 K28 2013
The Working Poor: Invisible in America by Shipler, David K."...examines the 'forgotten America' where 'millions live in the shadow of prosperity, in the twilight between poverty and well-being.' These are citizens for whom the American Dream is out of reach despite their willingness to work hard."
Call Number: HC110.P6 S48 2005
Nickel And Dimed: On (Not) Getting By In America by Ehrenreich, Barbara."... a modern classic that deftly portrays the plight of America's working-class poor. Author Barbara Ehrenreich decides to see if she can scratch out a comfortable living in blue-collar America. What she discovers is a culture of desperation, where workers often take multiple low-paying jobs just to keep a roof overhead."
Call Number: HD4918 .E375 2002
American Children in Chronic Poverty by Cynthia E. LamyWhy is it so difficult for some people to escape poverty? The author answers that question by describing the complex and interacting knot of problems that children face as they grow up in poverty. Lamy determines which programs and policies produce benefits that exceed costs, providing evidence for an efficient fight against poverty. Recommendations are described within three broad themes: bringing equity to our educational system, supporting families as they transition through difficulties, and making work pay.
Call Number: HV741 .L37 2013
Women and Poverty in 21st Century America by Paula vW. DáilDespite an overhaul in the 1990s, the American welfare system remains with a business model focused on the bottom line [and] crafted by male-dominated legislative bodies whose members most likely never had to choose between paying the rent or feeding their kids. This book offers a feminist perspective on the 21st century attitude toward poverty, illustrated by the words of women forced to live every day with social policies they had no voice in developing.
Call Number: HV1445 .D35 2012
Bridges Out of Poverty: Strategies for Professionals and Communities by Ruby Payne; Philip DeVol; Terie Dreussi Smith"If you didn't grow up in poverty, you may be unaware of the 'hidden rules' that govern many aspects of life for the poor. People in poverty are often in survival mode, and support systems taken for granted in middle class and wealth are largely nonexistent." [back cover of book] This book considers the challenges and strengths of people in poverty that must be understood to provide opportunities for them to succeed.
Call Number: HV4045 .39 2009
When Work Disappears: The World of the New Urban Poor by William Julius WilsonFor the first time in the 20th century, the majority of adults in the inner cities are not working. In an important and long-awaited study, one of the country's leading sociologists, the acclaimed author of The Truly Disadvantaged, analyzes the disappearance of work and its effects on the inner city of Chicago.
Call Number: HV4045 .W553 1996
Rachel and Her Children: Homeless Families in America by Kozol, Jonathan."The homeless are exemplified by those who are housed in the Martinique Hotel in New York. Through direct, simply stated interviews with several families in the Martinique over a period of time, Kozol strips away the stereotypic litany of what is wrong with welfare recipients. The heart of this book rests on two points: the lack of affordable housing for the poor and children who will become adults with little education and scars from spending a childhood under these conditions." --School Library Journal
Call Number: HV4505 .K69 2006
A Framework for Understanding Poverty by Ruby K. PayneA Framework for Understanding Poverty teaches the hidden rules of economic class and spreads the message that, despite the obstacles poverty can create in all types of interactions, there are specific strategies for overcoming them. Through case studies, personal stories and observations that produce some aha! moments, Payne clearly strikes a chord in her readers, and provides a hopeful message.
Call Number: HV4045 .P39 2003
The New Faces of American Poverty by Timothy J. Essenburg and Lindsey K. Hanson, Eds.The Great Recession (2007 to 2009) brought the United States...to historical levels of poverty. This is one of the first books to focus on the impact of the Great Recession on poverty in America, examining governmental and cultural responses to the economic downturn; the demographics of poverty by gender, age, occupation, education, geographical area, and ethnic identity.
Call Number: HC110.P6 HB3717 2008 ebk Gale Virtual Reference Library
"The mission of HHSC is to maintain and improve the health and human services system in Texas and to administer its programs in accordance with the highest standards of customer service and accountability for the effective use of funds."
An interesting approach to community development and strategies to build wealth in low-income communities. Community-Wealth.org is a project of The Democracy Collaborative.
Mission
"Breakthrough Austin provides out-of-school learning and academic case management from middle school through college to students from low-income communities who will be the first in their families to graduate from college."
Which neighborhoods in America offer children the best chance to rise out of poverty? The Opportunity Atlas answers this question using anonymous data following 20 million Americans from childhood to their mid-30s.
Articles from Magazines, Journals, & Newspapers
Use the e-resources / databases under Research to find articles.
If you’re in this generation, you’ve faced two financial crises before age 40 — and you probably have the depleted (or zero) retirement fund and higher debt to show for it.
Part 1 of a beautifully written 5-part account of a strong and talented 11-year-old girl being raised in poverty by parents whose situation is a by-product of social policies and economics.
"Sometime during the past few years, the country started talking differently about white Americans of modest means." The author discusses the crisis of Poor white Americans and refers to two books--"one a provocative, deeply researched history and the other an affecting memoir—are well timed to help make better sense of the plight of struggling whites in the United States. "
This article illustrates the influence of social class as it follows the journey of three New Yorkers—one rich, one middle class, and one working class—who each suffer heart attacks around the same time. In describing their uneven recoveries, the author observed: "class informed everything … from the emergency care each received, the households they returned to, and the jobs they hoped to resume.”
Streaming Media | Films | Documentaries
Born with a Wooden Spoon: Welcome to Poverty U.S.A., 2006"One in eight Americans—approximately 37 million people—live below the poverty line. This program discusses the effects and implications of poverty, examining factors such as illiteracy, insufficient job skills, substance abuse, crime, and the phenomenon of multigenerational poverty, underscoring the disturbing pattern of poverty begetting poverty." (59 minutes)
Call Number: Films on Demand
Down . . . But Not Out! A Look at Situational Poverty, 2007"For many Americans, the threat of sudden poverty has less to do with the nation’s overall economy than it does with personal circumstances. This program discusses the hard facts of situational poverty with a focus on the four most common triggers: job loss, health issues, the loss of a spouse through divorce or death, and natural disasters. A part of the series Poverty in America." (55 minutes)
Call Number: Films on Demand
Nouveau Poor: Immigrant Poverty, 2011"This program reveals the conditions in which an American newcomer, legal or not, struggles to earn a living, save money, and meet basic needs. A part of the series Poverty in America." (41 minutes)
Call Number: Films On Demand
Obvious Poverty: America's Homeless, 2011"Stereotypes tell us it’s easy to spot the homeless—after all, life on the street tends to leave a mark on people. But is a “homeless profile” really meaningful? Interviews with homeless people bring a real-world understanding to the issues, shedding light on the job search frustrations, bureaucratic challenges, and lack of personal safety that go hand-in-hand with a shelterless existence. A part of the series Poverty in America." (32 minutes)
The Two Nations of Black America. DVD, 60 min. by Written by June Cross and Henry Louis Gates, Jr."Originally presented as an episode of the television series Frontline in 1998. Today, America's black middle class is the largest in its history, yet roughly one-third of black America continues to live in poverty. This film measures the economic and social success of the civil rights movement and the gap between middle class and poor African-Americans...."
Call Number: E185.8 .T96 2008
What Poor Child Is This? Poverty and America's Children, 2011"If poverty is a serpent, child poverty is its venom. This program examines child poverty in the U.S.: its causes, its agents, and its human impact. Lack of school readiness (preparation for kindergarten) and poor academic achievement are also examined as factors in the perpetuation of the poverty cycle. A part of the series Poverty in America." (86 minutes)
State Trends in Child Well-Being
by the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s KIDS COUNT Project.
URL for download: http://www.aecf.org/m/resourcedoc/aecf-2018kidscountdatabook-2018.pdf
U.S. Census. "The U.S. Census Bureau collects data that measure the state of the nation's workforce, including employment and unemployment levels, as well as weeks and hours worked." See data tables on related topics.