$2.00 a Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America by Kathryn J. Edin

$2.00 a Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America by Kathryn J. Edin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3.5/5.0 - It's hard to believe in a country as rich as ours that people can live in such abject poverty. This book followed 8 families over many years and concludes that there is really no safety net for people since the welfare reform act in 1996. Most of the people this book talks about aren't homeless and living on the streets, but they don't have their own homes, either. Instead, they stay with family or friends, often changing homes several times a year. In one scenario, a house held 20 members of an extended family. The people want to work, and seek even part-time or low paying jobs, just to be bringing something home. But finding the jobs, and then keeping the jobs, are difficult with less than reliable transportation and daycare. This book seemed much more authentic than Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America, which I read earlier this year.
Book 219 of 2020

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