Growing Up Empty: The Hunger Epidemic in America

by Loretta Schwartz-Nobel

"Growing Up Empty" is a study of the hidden hunger epidemic that still remains largely unacknowledged at the highest political levels and "an unforgettable exploration of public policy, its failures and its victims" (William Raspberry, "Washington Post").

Twenty years after Ronald Reagan declared that hunger was no longer an American problem, Schwartz-Nobel shows that hunger has reached epic proportions, running rampant through urban, rural, and suburban communities, affecting blacks, whites, Asians, Christians and Jews, and nonbelievers alike.

Among the people we come to know are the new homeless. Born of the "Welfare to Work" program, these working poor have jobs but do not make enough to support their families, such as the formerly middle-class housewife reduced to stealing in order to feed her children, or the soldier fighting on our front lines while his young wife stands in bread lines and is denied benefits and baby formula at a military health clinic. With skillful investigative reporting and a novelist's humanitarian eye for detail, Schwartz-Nobel portrays a haunting reality of human suffering that need not exist. A call to action, "Growing Up Empty" is advocacy journalism at its best.

Genres: Nonfiction, Poverty, Sociology, Food, Social Justice

252 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Karyl]

I didn't want to like this book because dammit, why ARE there so many children and adults in the land of plenty, the land of the free and the brave, in AMERICA, that are literally starving? But it's a fantastically well-written piece that yanks at your heartstrings and slaps you in the face with the reality of the starving people of America. It's not just the illegal immigrants -- it's also legal immigrants, the homeless, the working poor, and even people who were middle-class just a few paychecks ago. Every ethnicity, every religion, every legal status is represented in this book because hungry people are everywhere.

I did have a bit of an issue with the chapter on the enlisted military. Though I am a Navy wife, my husband was already an E-6 by the time we got married, so we never wanted for anything. However, the way Schwartz-Nobel describes the inability of the military to help its own kind of got to me. There are horrible commands everywhere; my husband has been posted to a few. There are commands that require their servicemembers to work ridiculous hours. But there are just as many commands that are family-friendly and compassionate. Also, even though we don't make as much money as civilians, we have far more benefits. You earn 2.5 days a month in paid leave, taking a few hours off for medical appointments and other necessities isn't an issue (and doesn't count against the paycheck), our medical insurance is covered, as well as our prescriptions and any treatment we might require. Giving birth to my eldest daughter cost me not one cent -- even though she was lifeflighted (at a cost to my insurance of at least $10,000) and sent to an NICU unit at Seattle Children's Hospital. We also have quite a few resources in place; the military offers financial planning classes for all stages of life, from marriage to having a baby to separation from the military to retirement. In fact, frequently these classes are mandatory. Even less official channels are used; my husband has asked me to mentor and befriend the wives of some of the younger men on the ship, to help them make the transition into the Navy life, to show them where to go if they need help. Schwartz-Nobel painted a grim picture of new recruits unable to feed, let alone house, themselves and their children, and while I don't doubt that is true, I am wondering how they have fallen through the cracks. Usually the military family, whether it's official channels or simply spouses banding together, comes together to help those in need. Then again, her stories came from San Diego, a duty station we've never been posted. I know San Diego is an extremely expensive place to live, which is one of the reasons I've fought against going there.

At any rate, there are parts that did resonate with me. One of my friends became homeless (long story there), and his stories of trying to make it to this church in time for breakfast, and that soup kitchen in time for lunch, and this community center in time for dinner, plus getting a ticket for a shelter bed, all scattered around the city, match up exactly to the situation Schwatz-Nobel recounts in her book. It's almost impossible for a homeless person to get a job because he spends all day just feeding himself and trying to secure a place to sleep. When does he have time to look for a job, even stipulating that he has marketable skills?

I'll leave you with one last paragraph that is so telling about how unconcerned our politicians are with hunger at home: "It should be acknowledged that soon after the war in Afghanistan began, President Bush took to the airways and, in an admirable and compassionate gesture, he spoke openly of hunger and homelessness. His speech was effective. The need was dire, and his power to lead was obvious. Within two weeks, more than 1.5 million children had each sent a dollar to help feed the hungry children... of Afghanistan." Now if only we could do the same here in America.

[Mark Poons]

You will go through a lot of emotions while reading this book, but non more overwhelming then anger. Angry that no matter where you live in the USA, every town, every city, there are people (mostly children) that are starving. Right now!!! Most likely within a couple of miles of where you live. Not in Africa, not south of the border, but possibly down the street. And the saddest fact of the hundreds the author makes in this book is that it's only getting worse. Oh, and it would cost pennies to solve the problem compared to what is spent on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. I can't write anymore because it is just making me more angry. And yes, you should read this book.

[Elson]

This is a journalism piece that goes deep into the experiences people face in America struggling to get enough food to eat. It exposes the condition of being hungry through anonymous interviews on a topic people are normally too ashamed to discuss and a topic that is hidden from America's consciousness.

[Megan]

She makes some really important and valuable points, but the author can't get over herself and writes herself into most of the book, using overly dramatic writing flourishes and branding herself as the only champion of her kind.

[Annette Prall]

The families in this book had significant problems that led them to the desperate food situation. The problem with society today, imho, is that we're not talking about how to solve those bigger problems. Just cut them a bigger check and they'll be fine. Incidentally, the people who do suggest that the root of the issue be addressed rather than just throwing money at it are often painted as villains looking for political gain. This book was no exception.

[Alexandra]

I had to read this book for one of my classes and on my own I would never had picked it up. The book explored what was going on in America, hunger, living in poverty, and people who were homeless. Some parts of the book were really sad.

[Patti]

I grew up always having plenty to eat. This book changed so many ideas I had about people on welfare, people who use food stamps, lower pay grade military families, and other people who know the misery of food insecurity. There but for the grace of God...

[Melissa]

While this book opened my eyes to an important issue that I feel all educators need to pay more attention to, it was hard to overlook the preachy writing style that at times led the author to pontificate for pages on end with nothing more than her emotions to back up her claims.

[Cheryl Chalfant]

I have read this book twice, and it has shaped my perspective of hunger in America....how pervasive it is, and how it impacts families across a broad spectrum. The author gives a human face to the statistics we see by sharing the stories of individuals.

[Sharon]

the statistics on hunger in this book are mindblowing...something everyone should read, and after you read it, go out and do something about it.

[Mel]

A great book to persuade people to support increases in food stamp benefits and other safety net programs.

[Elizabeth Vasquez]

Vivid and touching; saddened by the degree of truth

[Kelly]

Another one I read while I was taking Community Health Nursing. Very interesting, learned more in regards to our backwards policie in this one.

[Amy Ruth Crevola]

People we see everyday, that we would never suspect, are hungry.

[Jordan]

Explores the reality of hunger in the United States. Like most books of this type, there's plenty of blame to go around.

[Kate]

Must read.

[Lisa]

Fantastic Book!

[Sheryl]

Highly recommended! Eye-opening book on hunger in the United States.

[Jen]

An eye opening book about the rampant hunger in America.

[Carmen Pérez]

In this report, Schwartz-Nobel tells stories of America’s hungry children. Traveling coast to coast, the author reaches many families, in particular, single mothers and their children to uncover the hidden hunger that many faces in silence. She reveals hunger in rural, urban and suburban neighborhoods, among the working middle class, military families, working poor, refugees and immigrants. According to her research, the increase of hunger in America is a direct result of Ronald Reagan’s federal aid cutbacks in the 1980s as well as the 1996 welfare to work laws, which changed welfare and food stamps policies. Through the book, Schwartz-Nobel emphasizes the effects of hunger on the health of the entire nation and calls for awareness, action and above all a change of political soul. Shocking, heartbreaking, informative and often devastating, this is a fundamental report on the politics of hunger and the silent Americans who are its victims. I give it 4 stars out of 5.

[em ♡]

educational topics overviewed, but the entire gist of this book is not new to me.

[Amy]

I read this book for class, so I am not going to give it a rating. However it was very engaging and interesting and definitely well written.

[Julia Hoover]

even though i had to read this for a class it was incredibly eye opening and a book that everyone should read. i was so invested and the stories from real people were truly touching

[Josh S]

Powerful book of stories about hunger in the U.S. Opened my eyes to something I had basically no idea about. What struck me is how often hunger and suffering occurs when men fail to live out who God has called them to be- negligent instead of present, abusive instead of protective. Lost men = broken families = generational cycles of suffering and desperation.

[K]

I really appreciated the stories of hunger that are told throughout this book, from people of various cultures and backgrounds (some even unexpected). Food insecurity can stem from all walks of life and Growing Up Empty was an eye opening read.

The reason for the 1 star detraction was that this book was described as a "call to action," but I personally didn't feel like the author ever offered a solution or described possible steps that we, as readers, could take to instigate change and actively address these issues. Instead, I felt like the book was just a reflection on the issue. This is not necessarily bad; I think reflection is a critical component of being self-aware. However, the book was advertised as a call to action, but I finished the book feeling a little lost on what I could/should do next. Nevertheless, this didn't detract from the story telling and my appreciation for the book as a whole.