On August 22, 1996, President Bill Clinton signed into law the Personal Reponsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, known as "Welfare Reform." Acclaimed New York Times reporter Jason DeParle offers a definitive look at the collision between social policy and the gritty reality of post-welfare America.
Critic Reviews
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Outstanding
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Boston Globe Joanne Skerrett
A humorous, emotional story that is exhaustive in detail and scope and that promises to be a force in the debate over the welfare overhaul begun in the 1990s.
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Outstanding
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Los Angeles Times Emily Bazelon
DeParle tracks in masterful detail the effects of the 1996 legislation on three Milwaukee families, as well as the law's journey from Capitol Hill and the White House to the state offices and streets of Wisconsin. [17 Sept 2004, p.E22]
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Outstanding
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The Nation Jennifer Egan
What's startling is the gripping read DeParle provides along the way--an alchemy wrought by the fusion of his encyclopedic knowledge with his mischievous prose. The story of welfare reform turns out to be suspenseful, emotionally rich, rife with dramatic reversals and packed with enough ironies to keep Don DeLillo busy for several years.
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Outstanding
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The New York Times Book Review Anthony Walton
Wrestling steadfastly with the Protean contradictions of its reform, Jason DeParle has given "welfare" several unforgettable human faces. Through his long and scrupulous attention, he challenges the nation to contemplate the dreams, or lack thereof, within the American Dream.
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Favorable
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Booklist Vanessa Bush
[DeParle] is most compelling in his portrayal of the personal struggle of these women and their children to carve out lives for themselves in the midst of uncertainty and in the face of tremendous obstacles. An important book for the public and for policymakers. [15 Sept 2004, p.182]
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Favorable
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The New York Times Paul Starr
Mr. DeParle tells both stories in rich detail, mixing in relevant historical background and social research with his own reporting and acknowledging his views without appearing to let them distort his account...He is so even-handed that some readers may miss a unifying message, but the book is as complex as the subject warrants.
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Favorable
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Chicago Tribune Curtis Lawrence
When readers find themselves at times puzzled--or downright infuriated--by some of the decisions made by DeParle's heroines, the author brings in such people as Chicago employment and welfare expert Toby Herr to explain her philosophy on why a stable partner plays such a large part in the actions of women on welfare.
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Favorable
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New York Review Of Books Christopher Jencks
American Dream: Three Women, Ten Kids, and a Nation's Drive to End Welfare, is by far the best book about welfare reform that I have read. It has won a number of prizes, and it deserves them.
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Mixed
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Publishers Weekly
[DeParle] offers few solutions for breaking the cycle of poverty and dependency in America.
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Unfavorable
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The New Republic Jacob S. Hacker
The problem is, by challenging and informing us through the singular stories of three troubled women, DeParle brings us little closer to the answers we need... What we do not find out is what all this means for the American dream.
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Unfavorable
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Washington Post Frances Fox Piven
A fascinating account that makes a deeply incoherent argument. DeParle doesn't come to terms with his own reporting, either at the time of welfare reform or now.
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