⋙ Download Myth of the Welfare Queen A Pulitzer PrizeWinning Journalist Portrait of Women on the Line David Zucchino 9780684840062 Books

Myth of the Welfare Queen A Pulitzer PrizeWinning Journalist Portrait of Women on the Line David Zucchino 9780684840062 Books

Download As PDF : Myth of the Welfare Queen A Pulitzer PrizeWinning Journalist Portrait of Women on the Line David Zucchino 9780684840062 Books

Myth of the Welfare Queen A Pulitzer PrizeWinning Journalist Portrait of Women on the Line David Zucchino 9780684840062 Books

Really enjoyed the extremely detailed personal decisions and motivations of the people profiled in Philadelphia's North Side. There are many different negative narratives slapped onto welfare recipients some of them true and others untrue. This book addresses both. It more importantly sheds light on the daily struggles of what it is really like living in the welfare state and how it can seem inescapable.


Tags : Myth of the Welfare Queen: A Pulitzer Prize-Winning Journalist's Portrait of Women on the Line [David Zucchino] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter David Zucchino spent a year sharing the lives of Odessa Williams and Cheri Honkala -- two welfare mothers in Philadelphia -- to gain an intimate look at their day-to-day existence. Odessa,David Zucchino,Myth of the Welfare Queen: A Pulitzer Prize-Winning Journalist's Portrait of Women on the Line,Simon & Schuster,0684840065,Welfare recipients;United States;Economic conditions.,Welfare recipients;United States;Social conditions.,Women;United States;Social conditions.,Current Events General,Economic conditions,Political Science,Political Science Public Policy Social Services & Welfare,Political Science : Public Policy - Social Policy,Politics & government,Politics Current Events,PoliticsInternational Relations,Public Policy - Social Policy,Public Policy - Social Services & Welfare,Social Science : Sociology - Urban,Social conditions,Social welfare & social services,Sociology - Urban,United States,Welfare recipients,Women

Myth of the Welfare Queen A Pulitzer PrizeWinning Journalist Portrait of Women on the Line David Zucchino 9780684840062 Books Reviews

A very eye-opening portrait of urban poverty and the economic circumstances that lead to it in addition to the dysfunctional relationship with money and lack of "personal responsibility" that aggrevate it.

The first few chapters deal with the economic changes in America's inner cities since the 70's such as job loss and factory closings and outlines, through Odessa, the dysfunctional family dynamics that have arisen out of that situation. The author makes no judgements of the lifestyles of these people, especially the children who don't take care of their own kids or want to live off the dole (not all do, some are hell bent on getting off welfare and working, a nice refutation of that old stereotype) merely offering these facts and allowing the reader to decide, and I greatly appreciate the author's willingness to inlude that information. However, I admire Odessa for being such a determined person and trying her hardest to keep the rent up and raise those children right and keep them out of trouble.

Cheri, I don't have as much sympathy for, but I'll leave it at that.

Overall, a nice, easy read about life in modern urban america.
I picked up this book from a second hand books store and set it aside with the rest of the books I randomly collect. Soon I placed it in the bathroom and began to work my way through it. My daughter began to whine that there were no books in the house to read (we are drowning in books) so I picked it up, slapped jauntily in front of her and said, "Read this." That was two years ago, and the kid (now just 13) had read and re-read this book to nearly tatters. I'm reading it again because it is now the subject of a joint "student-parent" book report, and this was the book she selected.

I can't say this book will be a thundering revelation for people. If you are looking for reasons to judge poor people and blame them for their own plight as an excuse to withdraw mercy and compassion, you will find it in this book. If you are looking for a reason to run with the rallying cry that poor people are struggling under insurmountable odds, you will find it in this book. Want anecdotes to support your racism ----> this book. Want anecdotes to support the cruelty of structural poverty--->this book.

I felt this book was powerful, and obviously so did my 13 year old daughter, but ultimately I think its because we can relate. My daughter sees Odessa in me, and the struggles and triumphs in the relatives around us. We live in relative middle class comfort, but she hasn't forgotten the days where we were never sure where a meal would come from, or if the angry junkie down the street would storm our house.

I believe for her, it is a powerful illustration of the reality that we lived, extended by the experiences of Odessa and the others that we have not. If this book does not remind her, it at least reminds me, that there is always hope in the struggle, but the pain and danger of the struggle never disappears as long as you are wrestling with the monster of poverty.

How it will affect you will depend on the intersection of your race, class, disability, ethnicity, urban/suburban/rural identity, disability, and experience.
I was hoping for more academic writing, studies, statistics and other tools used to debunk the myth of the welfare queen.

The writing is engaging and effectively humanizes the individuals involved, taking your through their trials and tribulations, but doesn't seem to prove anything beyond the idea that people on welfare are, in fact, people. Now that I think about it, that might be a radical idea for some.
This was a gift that got a lot of feed back. Thought provoking book.
An awesome story. It is so gripping, so moving. You will love Odessa Williams. You will understand the dire straights and the challenges the women and families face who want to better themselves but have not had the opportunities to do so or have not made the best decisions for themselves. This book is a portrait of courage, of incredible tenacity to survive.
Those who are too quick to judge would well benefit from reading about the lives told in this book and gaining a better understanding.
Really enjoyed the extremely detailed personal decisions and motivations of the people profiled in Philadelphia's North Side. There are many different negative narratives slapped onto welfare recipients some of them true and others untrue. This book addresses both. It more importantly sheds light on the daily struggles of what it is really like living in the welfare state and how it can seem inescapable.