Don't Call Us Out of Name: The Untold Lives of Women and Girls in Poor America

by Lisa Dodson

A radically new vision of women and girls living below the poverty line; Lisa Dodson makes a frontal assault on conventional attitudes and stereotypes of women in poor America and the seriously misguided "welfare reform" policies of the end of the century.

"I hear Odessa, a thirty-two-year-old woman, speak at a forum on welfare reform. I ask her about the phrase she used, 'Don't call me out of name,' for it seemed to speak for a whole nation of people. Odessa tells me that women who have no money and no one to stand up for them get put into a bad position and they get misnamed. Most often they get called 'welfare mothers' or 'recipients,' words she will no longer acknowledge. With millions alongside her, Odessa has emerged by her own strength and some opportunity, and now she insists upon naming herself."

While Lisa Dodson was working in a Charlestown factory twenty years ago, the stories of the women she worked with daily captivated her; she listened to them speak about harsh lives and their deep commitment to family and community. It was the beginning of Dodson's desire to learn the truth and write it down.

For over eight years, Dodson has been documenting the lives of girls and women-hundreds of white, African-American, Latino, Haitian, Irish, and other women in personal interviews, focus groups, surveys, and Life-History Studies. This book is a crossing--a class crossing--taking readers into fellowship with people who are seldom invited to speak but who have powerful stories to tell and who force us to abandon common myths that have been fed to us by the media about school dropouts, teen pregnancy, and welfare "cheats." Don't Call Us Out of Name delves deeply into the realities of their lives, often with surprising and uplifting stories of commonplace courage, unimaginable strength, and resourcefulness.

Lisa Dodson does not simply give us the truth about women living in poverty but offers realistic hope for meaningful policy reform based on the experience and analysis of the women we have seen so far only in stereotype and whose voices we have not truly heard. These women emerge as critical contributors to the creation of sound, humane public policy.

Genres: Feminism, Nonfiction, Sociology

260 pages, Paperback

First published September 29, 1998

Reviews

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dodson’s work seems to be a forgotten piece of the poverty studies canon. I’ve neither seen her book cited in related texts that I’ve read, nor have I heard it referenced by experts at panels or conferences. This is a pity. Set in 1990s Boston, "Don’t Call Us Out of Name" is a humanizing portrait of girls and young women at the economic margins. Dodson’s research methods felt fairly novel to me—she would conduct surveys and focus groups with teens and later reflect on the findings from those efforts with young women of similar socio-economic standing. I enjoyed it.

[Karah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A blessing to read!! Such warmth and empathy for the women and girls interviewed. I appreciate the tenderness and compassion Dodson extended to the women. She allowed women and girls to their vulnerabilities without depleting personal responsibility. No patronizing, either. I interpret that the subjects sensed ease and trustworthiness from Lisa Dodson.

I look forward to reading the rest of her oeuvre.

[Jacqueline · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book of the lives of the women who were living through poverty, and struggled with abuse was not only told in a powerful, respected way but also is eye opening for readers especially for women to be able to relate into their stories of what they experienced. The author also has a similar writing to the well known book "The Help" about the women who were working as maids for the white women. Most of the women who were being interviewed were out in the public and a few were anonymous but still the things they faced were tragic to hear and you could picture it in your minds how horrifying it is to deal with the abuse that some of the women in this book faced and much more.

[Gwen Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book in grad school for "relief" from fiction manuscripts. It caught my eye in the B. U. bookstore because its title is also the punchline of a family legend about my British great-grandmother who did not take kindly to her husband calling her out of her name. It's a real eye-opener to learn how people who are directly affected by Welfare Reform perceive the whole system--as opposed to the uninformed or misinformed opinions of politicians, pundits, and talking heads with no personal experience of it. A must-read if you consider yourself a citizen.

[Libby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dodson's work provides valuable incite into many of the lives of impoverished women in the US. However, I believe this type of work tends to aid in the construction of insider/outsider barriers between "us and the poor." Essentially, after reading a book like this, we tend to think that poor women are an entirely different sort that we are. Perhaps the generalizations present here will foster more stereotypes than they actually remove.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was quickly drawn into this book. I fall into the category of women who have never had to worry about where my family will sleep tomorrow or how I will feed my children. This book has a lot of meat to it...a lot to think about in terms of the cultures and trials of women and children in poor America. I recommend reading it.

[Misty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four stars for the insight this ethnology provides. It illuminates the complicated social pressure unique to poor women, especially unwed mothers. Essential reading for all policymakers-and suggested for all those in social services for the poor.

[Hey Sailor!]

Rec. Ami
possible oct. book club