Poverty in America

by Louis A. Ferman

The issues raised by this book of readings, Poverty in America, are not simply those of the problems of poverty, but the problem of poverty in its larger context and how, in a sense, that problem meets the issue of the Great Society. For, when we declare a war against poverty, we are reaching out to touch a problem which has first come to the poor but which, if not solved in terms of the poor, will threaten to engulf the entire society. Individual articles in this comprehensive anthology focus on definitions and prevalence of poverty, the structure of poverty, the relationship of poverty to the economy, the values and life styles of poor people, and various programs and proposals that have been suggested to meet the problems of social, economic, and cultural deprivation. - Introduction.