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$2.00 a Day

Living on Almost Nothing in America
Feb 01, 2016TheresaAJ rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Edin has done research on poverty in America for almost 20 years. Her latest research shows a new demographic -- households that survive on almost no cash income. Chapter 1, Welfare is Dead, explores the history of government welfare from the 1960s through today. As the system changed from cash payments to earned income tax credits and SNAP debit cards, more and more households sunk to a new level of poverty -- no cash income. Through in-depth case histories, Edin explores the effect of this phenomenon on children and families. Her subjects range from 5th generation poverty in Mississippi to surviving on a low-wage job to losing a thriving business during the 2008 "Great Recession". Through this chilling work on income inequality in America, Edin shows her subjects as real people who work very hard to survive on almost nothing.