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Innocent: Confessions of a Welfare Mom
Growing up in a prosperous neighborhood, B. Morrison was taught that poverty was a product of laziness and public assistance programs only rewarded irresponsibility. However, when her marriage soured, she abruptly found herself an impoverished single mother. Disowned by her parents and facing destitution for herself and her two small sons, she was forced to accept the handout so disdained by her parents and their welfare. This dramatic memoir tells how one woman finds and grasps the lifeline that ultimately enables her to become independent. B. Morrison is the author of a poetry collection entitled Here at Least, and is currently working on a novel.
- GenresMemoir
373 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 1, 2011
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8 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 21, 2022
Innocent is both a story that crosses decades and one which reflects its time period. Barbara Morrison’s memoir of her time on welfare spans the late 60’s and 70’s. She grew up isolated within a large middle-class family in Baltimore, pushing back against the racism and the boundaries for women. The boundaries for women in her family meant her parents were reluctant to support her way through college, though they did so readily for her brothers. She ended up pregnant, twice, by her early 20’s, kicked out of home by her parents who thought she’d set a bad example for her siblings, and then her marriage fell apart. Finding herself with no way to support herself, she moved to Worcester and, reluctantly, went on welfare. At bottom, Morrison was perhaps very naive herself, and without the self-confidence which might have enabled her to avoid marriage and babies so early in her life. These difficulties were certainly as much a product of the times for women as of her own choices.
Innocent is very much a story of friendships, as well. The people who support us, help us, the communities we build to get us through, particularly when family is no longer available. This was very familiar to me as someone who grew up a decade later, but as a lesbian — the assumption and reality that family would never help me as much as a community of friends. Friendships are what ultimately give her a way out of the psychological morass — depression, hopelessness, low self-esteem — which welfare and poverty inflict on so many. Remarkably, Morrison remains open to her mother, in particular, throughout. Whenever her mother reaches out to her, she is willing. This involves both a ready forgiveness and a sensitivity to the factors which restricted her mother’s life and a willingness to respond as her mother herself changed.
It is clear that welfare, and life in poverty, since the time Morrison writes about has become both better and worse. The racism is at least more complicated, not so rigidly defined. The utter sexism has certainly not disappeared, but women have changed. Their own sense of options and empowerment is much broader. The bureaucracy itself may have gotten more standardized. Rather than spending hours and days waiting in welfare offices to resolve frequent problems, I suspect much of the contact now is online. On the other hand, poverty (coinciding neatly with continued racial disparities) is more entrenched than ever, the stigma against the poor as strong as ever. As Morrison readily admits, those without her advantages — white, healthy, better educated — will have had a much worse time of it, a worse chance of rising out of the poverty. Had Morrison had earlier access to medical assistance and day care assistance, she could have moved forward so much more readily. This is as true now as it was then.
The happy ending for Morrison is unfortunately very much tied to her advantages. For those born into a life of poverty, who experience racism daily, who do not have even distant access to a well-off family, nor education, nor friends who provide a constant example of alternatives, nor even a violence-free existence, building self-confidence and a sense of possibility will be so much harder, and leaving the world of poverty and welfare will be another story entirely.
This memoir is very much about one person’s journey into and out of poverty, but as such inspires empathy for so many stuck in a life of poverty. And for that, a very worthwhile read.
Innocent is very much a story of friendships, as well. The people who support us, help us, the communities we build to get us through, particularly when family is no longer available. This was very familiar to me as someone who grew up a decade later, but as a lesbian — the assumption and reality that family would never help me as much as a community of friends. Friendships are what ultimately give her a way out of the psychological morass — depression, hopelessness, low self-esteem — which welfare and poverty inflict on so many. Remarkably, Morrison remains open to her mother, in particular, throughout. Whenever her mother reaches out to her, she is willing. This involves both a ready forgiveness and a sensitivity to the factors which restricted her mother’s life and a willingness to respond as her mother herself changed.
It is clear that welfare, and life in poverty, since the time Morrison writes about has become both better and worse. The racism is at least more complicated, not so rigidly defined. The utter sexism has certainly not disappeared, but women have changed. Their own sense of options and empowerment is much broader. The bureaucracy itself may have gotten more standardized. Rather than spending hours and days waiting in welfare offices to resolve frequent problems, I suspect much of the contact now is online. On the other hand, poverty (coinciding neatly with continued racial disparities) is more entrenched than ever, the stigma against the poor as strong as ever. As Morrison readily admits, those without her advantages — white, healthy, better educated — will have had a much worse time of it, a worse chance of rising out of the poverty. Had Morrison had earlier access to medical assistance and day care assistance, she could have moved forward so much more readily. This is as true now as it was then.
The happy ending for Morrison is unfortunately very much tied to her advantages. For those born into a life of poverty, who experience racism daily, who do not have even distant access to a well-off family, nor education, nor friends who provide a constant example of alternatives, nor even a violence-free existence, building self-confidence and a sense of possibility will be so much harder, and leaving the world of poverty and welfare will be another story entirely.
This memoir is very much about one person’s journey into and out of poverty, but as such inspires empathy for so many stuck in a life of poverty. And for that, a very worthwhile read.
July 22, 2025
I really enjoyed Innocent - Confessions of a Welfare Mom which I found to be both a captivating and thought-provoking memoir.
Reflecting on her experiences as a single mother on welfare in America in the 1970s, Morrison provides insights into the precarity of a life lived on public assistance. There are of course difficult times, times when Morrison questions how she will provide food and shelter for her children but there are lighter moments too. Morrison finds joy in Morris dancing and in teaching creative writing.
I was impressed by Morrison's views on civil rights, women's rights and on the advancement of marginalized groups. Despite growing up in a sheltered, traditional home as a white person she consistently has empathy and understanding for other races, sexual orientations and religions. I know that's just expected now but I found it notable that Morrison held these views in the 70s.
Morrison's story is hard to listen to. Her parents shunned her when she needed them most. Her children's father did not do enough for his boys or to support Morrison. The welfare office did not always treat her, and others like her, with the dignity they deserved. But she found community among friends who, despite having very little, were always supportive and kind.
Morrison ultimately found a job and got off welfare. Her children did well. But she acknowledges that her education and privileged upbringing played a large part in her ability to come off welfare. Not everyone in her position was able to do the same.
What's sad is that things for poor people with children in America are probably worse now than they were in the 1970s. While it was somewhat possible for people to come off welfare in that time, it is nigh on impossible now. As the gap between the rich and poor continues to widen, unfortunately stories like Morrison's will only get more and more rare.
Innocent was published in print 2011 but only came out in audio in 2022. I listened on audio so can't speak for the print version but I loved hearing Morrison relay her experiences in her own voice. She speaks and writes beautifully and it was a pleasure to listen to despite some of the difficult subject matter.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the audiobook.
Reflecting on her experiences as a single mother on welfare in America in the 1970s, Morrison provides insights into the precarity of a life lived on public assistance. There are of course difficult times, times when Morrison questions how she will provide food and shelter for her children but there are lighter moments too. Morrison finds joy in Morris dancing and in teaching creative writing.
I was impressed by Morrison's views on civil rights, women's rights and on the advancement of marginalized groups. Despite growing up in a sheltered, traditional home as a white person she consistently has empathy and understanding for other races, sexual orientations and religions. I know that's just expected now but I found it notable that Morrison held these views in the 70s.
Morrison's story is hard to listen to. Her parents shunned her when she needed them most. Her children's father did not do enough for his boys or to support Morrison. The welfare office did not always treat her, and others like her, with the dignity they deserved. But she found community among friends who, despite having very little, were always supportive and kind.
Morrison ultimately found a job and got off welfare. Her children did well. But she acknowledges that her education and privileged upbringing played a large part in her ability to come off welfare. Not everyone in her position was able to do the same.
What's sad is that things for poor people with children in America are probably worse now than they were in the 1970s. While it was somewhat possible for people to come off welfare in that time, it is nigh on impossible now. As the gap between the rich and poor continues to widen, unfortunately stories like Morrison's will only get more and more rare.
Innocent was published in print 2011 but only came out in audio in 2022. I listened on audio so can't speak for the print version but I loved hearing Morrison relay her experiences in her own voice. She speaks and writes beautifully and it was a pleasure to listen to despite some of the difficult subject matter.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the audiobook.
January 9, 2025
First, I would like to thank Cottey House Press, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Audiobooks, Barbara Morrison, and NetGalley for allowing me to preview this title in its audiobook form.
As always, reviewing a memoir is tricky bc one cannot, ethically, critique another person's choices, feelings, and experiences. I will do my best to honor that here.
This book is a story of someone who grew up in a stable, middle class family in the 60s, but chose to follow her heart instead of the path laid out for her by her parents. That path left her with 2 small children and a ex-husband that abandoned her. Because of her lack of work experience, cost of rent, lack of affordable child care, and limited access to health care, she chose to go on welfare. This book talks about her struggles, prejudices, and obstacles to both staying on and getting off welfare. While a majority of this book takes place in the 70s, the struggles that are described are quite relevant today.
I listened to this on audiobook and it was narrated by the author. This very much felt like she was reading from a book. Any emotion was not blatantly expressed, but more simply read. Also, she put very little effort into using other voices when quoting dialog from another person. I felt like I was being read to, and not necessarily spoken to.
What always strikes me about books such as these is that they are often consumed by the people that don't necessarily need to hear the information. In this instance, I have a heart for the poor, marginalized, stigmatized, and often overlooked populations. For me, this book was "preaching to the choir." For me, this book just strengthened my resolve in wanting to help welfare mothers do their best. However, it is those people that still view welfare recipients as "lazy" or "working the system" that should read this book. I wish the author could have added a section on how to help those people who are on public assistance, but this was her story, not necessarily a lesson in humanity.
As always, reviewing a memoir is tricky bc one cannot, ethically, critique another person's choices, feelings, and experiences. I will do my best to honor that here.
This book is a story of someone who grew up in a stable, middle class family in the 60s, but chose to follow her heart instead of the path laid out for her by her parents. That path left her with 2 small children and a ex-husband that abandoned her. Because of her lack of work experience, cost of rent, lack of affordable child care, and limited access to health care, she chose to go on welfare. This book talks about her struggles, prejudices, and obstacles to both staying on and getting off welfare. While a majority of this book takes place in the 70s, the struggles that are described are quite relevant today.
I listened to this on audiobook and it was narrated by the author. This very much felt like she was reading from a book. Any emotion was not blatantly expressed, but more simply read. Also, she put very little effort into using other voices when quoting dialog from another person. I felt like I was being read to, and not necessarily spoken to.
What always strikes me about books such as these is that they are often consumed by the people that don't necessarily need to hear the information. In this instance, I have a heart for the poor, marginalized, stigmatized, and often overlooked populations. For me, this book was "preaching to the choir." For me, this book just strengthened my resolve in wanting to help welfare mothers do their best. However, it is those people that still view welfare recipients as "lazy" or "working the system" that should read this book. I wish the author could have added a section on how to help those people who are on public assistance, but this was her story, not necessarily a lesson in humanity.
September 7, 2019
Barbara Morrison surprises. To see her, you might not know that she is a successful poet and novelist. In person, she is well-dressed, soft spoken, modest in every way. But then, reading Innocent, you learn about what she has experienced. Born into the middle class in Baltimore, she fell into poverty in Worcester. Living on welfare, she raised two sons and found a way to escape the traps that can keep you poor.
She was lucky, as she would be the first to say. But she was also steadfast and determined. In the end, she became wise, as she would be the last to say. This is her story. You should read it.
She was lucky, as she would be the first to say. But she was also steadfast and determined. In the end, she became wise, as she would be the last to say. This is her story. You should read it.
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March 13, 2016Amazing and eye opening!
I met the author of this life-changing book!! She is beautiful and caring. She and her beautifully written book have changed the way I think about poverty and welfare forever! This is a must read, a call to action to make our world a better place!! It is also a powerful and gripping story, a page-turner and a truth-teller!! I highlighted many passages I want to always remember!! Thank you, Barbara!!
I met the author of this life-changing book!! She is beautiful and caring. She and her beautifully written book have changed the way I think about poverty and welfare forever! This is a must read, a call to action to make our world a better place!! It is also a powerful and gripping story, a page-turner and a truth-teller!! I highlighted many passages I want to always remember!! Thank you, Barbara!!
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