| Resources on
the Working Poor
| |
Fiction |
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USA Dos Passos,
John. 1946
Three novels published during the 1930s portraying the interactions
of multiple characters from the working, middle, and upper class
in the U.S. between 1900 and 1935. |
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I Sailed
with Magellan Dybek, Stuart. 2003
A novel of interconnected short stories about a working class
boy growing up in 1950s Chicago. |
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Studs Lonigan Farrell,
James T. 1935
Portrays a working class boy growing up in the mean streets
of Chicago during the Depression. |
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Open Season
Mayor, Archer. 1988
This novel about a policeman in Brattleboro, Vermont, is the
first in a mystery series that exposes the problems of the rural
poor and working class. |
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Blanche on the Lam
Neely, Barbara. 1992
Blanche White is an independent black woman who doesn't feel
incomplete without a man; a maid unapologetic about her profession;
and an entertaining amateur detective. |
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The Jungle
Sinclair, Upton. 1906
The story of a Lithuanian immigrant working under inhumane conditions
in a meat-packing factory in the early 20th century Chicago. |
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The Grapes of Wrath
Steinbeck, John. 1939
The story of the Joad family, refugees from the drought in Oklahoma
during the 1930s, who become exploited migrant workers in California. |
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When Death
Comes Stealing
Wesley, Valerie Wilson. 1994
Tamara Hayle, a wise and witty African American single mom and
ex-cop, makes her living as a private investigator in Newark,
NJ. |
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Non-Fiction |
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Gig: Americans Talk About
their Jobs at the Turn of the Millenium
Bowe, John (editor) et al. 2000 |
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Making Ends Meet: How Single
Mothers Survive Welfare and Low-Wage Work
Edin, Kathryn, and Laura Lein. 1997 |
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Created
Unequal: The Crisis in American Pay
Galbraith, James K. 1998 |
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In the Shadow
of the Poor House: A Social History of Welfare in America
Katz, Michael. 1997 |
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The Economics
of Work and Family
Kimmel, Jean, and Emily P. Hoffman, editors. 2002 |
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Savage Inequalities:
Children in America's Schools
Kozol, Jonathan. 1992 |
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Building Communities from
the Inside Out: A Path Toward Finding and Mobilizing a Community's
Assets
Kretzmann, John P., and John L. McKnight. 1997 |
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Working
but Poor: America's Contradiction
Levitan, Sar A. and Isaac Shapiro. 1987 |
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Owning Up:
Poverty, Assets, and the American Dream
Miller-Adams, Michelle. 2002 |
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No Shame
in My Game: The Working Poor in the Inner City
Newman, Katherine S. 2000 |
|
The Economics
of Work and Family
Kimmel, Jean, and Emily P. Hoffman, editors. 2002 |
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Working: People Talk About
What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do
Turkell, Studs. 1972 |
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When Work
Disappears: The World of the New Urban Poor
Wilson, William Julius. 1996 |
Many thanks to those who contributed to this list:
David Isaacson, Humanities Librarian, Waldo Library, WMU; Michelle
Miller-Adams, visiting professor of political science, Kalamazoo
College; Amy Proni, chair of the Library Staff Advisory Board, Waldo
Library, WMU, and Katy Steadman, head of Adult Services, Kalamazoo
Public Library.
Videography: Films to Supplement Your Reading
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Bread and Roses (2000)
Adrien Brody
The story of L.A. janitors, who earn as little as $6 a day without
benefits, and their attempt to unionize. |
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Fast Food
Women (1991)
Documentary examines the working conditions of women working
in four fast-food restaurants in eastern Kentucky. |
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Norma Rae (1979)
Sally Field
A naïve textile worker, widow, and mother in the South
becomes empowered by standing up for her rights in the workplace. |
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Roger &
Me (1989)
Michael Moore
A devastating look at the victims of downsizing in the midst
of the 1980s economic boom. |
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Ruby in Paradise (1993)
Ashley Judd
A young woman moves to a Florida beach town and tries as best
she can to earn a living, in the process learning about the
strength within herself. |
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Salt of
the Earth (1954)
Will Geer
Portrays the measures taken by a largely Hispanic union to improve
working and especially living conditions for the poverty-stricken
workers. |
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Store Wars: When Wal-Mart
Comes to Town (2001)
PBS documentary examines the populist spirit that engulfs a
small Virginia town when retail giant Wal-Mart comes knocking. |
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Voices of
Cabrini (1999)
Documentary follows the residents of Chicago's best-known public
housing development as their homes are marked for destruction,
leading to concern about the city's promise to replace Cabrini
with equally affordable housing. |
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Women: The
New Poor (1990)
Divorced
women and single mothers who lack skills and opportunities for
economic self-sufficiency represent the alarming feminization
of poverty in the U.S.
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Web Resources for More Exploration
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