The Other America ~ Poverty in the United States

During the 1950s, the poor were invisible; during the 1960s & 70s they were to be pulled up by the Great Society programs; during the 1980s they became the enemy of President Reagan and the middle class; during the 1990s and 2000s the poor have become clowns to laugh at on the "Jerry Springer Show". This book lends significant and valuable insight into poverty; not just economic poverty but "psychological" poverty. Although this book was written over forty years ago, much of the main ideas still seem to hold true. Instead of looking at today's poor Americans as "lazy welfare bums" we must look at the deep psychological and sociological subculture that is their situation. Harrington makes many interesting observations in this regard. The book is also very well written and researched. Please do not dismiss this book because of the author's liberal and socialistic political leanings. Take it for what it is. In any case, it will give you a lot to think about.

Not being an American, I cannot judge whether the poverty situation described in this book is still as prevalent as it was in the early 1960's. I found the book to be a good and easy read, the author was able to get his point across and made some good suggestions. An important book that I am glad I read.

What is most amazing about Harrington's book is how accurately it describes today's society. The impact of this book, first published in the early 60s, is testament to the power that a single book can have on a nation and its people. It directly affected the thoughts and actions of President Johnson's "war on poverty". Unfortunately, this "war on poverty" may never come to a conclusion, even in the richest country in the world. The book itself contains a good introduction by Howe, who puts the impact of Harrington's work in context. Filled with statistics, which are unfortunately not well referenced, the case is made that the scale of poverty in the US is a travesty and an outrage. Harrington himself lived amongst the poor and disenfranchised members of New York's society for a brief period of time and he writes about their general hopelessness and lack of purpose in life. The descriptions and analysis of this book allow you to view the world through the 'lens' of poverty, to know (on a superficial level) the crippling and depressing lives of our society's poorest members. Harrington was perhaps the leading American socialist of his time, so be warned that his views and crituqes have a liberal/leftist stance and that much of the book disparages the efforts of the US government (perhaps, rightly so). As an added bonus, this edition of the book includes some insightful afterwords by Harrington about poverty in the 70s and 80s. Overall, an important and powerful work that is a must-read for anyone concerned with the issue of poverty in the US (which should be everyone, shouldn't it?).

This is the seminal work on the poor in America, analyzed within the context of government proffered, anti-poverty programs. It is a scathing critique and analysis of the war on poverty, where bold rhetoric and political grandstanding have often supplanted action. The author in his analysis categorizes poverty as a cultural and often institutional way of life that would require radical innovations, social planning, and long term financial investment, were the government really serious about eradicating poverty in America. What is amazing is that the arguments made by the author, when he wrote this book forty years ago, are still sound today.