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Reframing Poverty: New Thinking and Feeling About Humanity's Greatest Challenge
We talk about poverty as if it were something "out there" - something that does not touch us directly. As a result, we get trapped in a counterproductive debate among perspectives on poverty that each have some of the truth, but not all of the truth. Further, when we act on our own limited perspective, our efforts do not produce the intended results, or - worse - they create even greater problems for the future.
We are all deeply connected to poverty through our own experience or through that of our families and forebears. By bringing feelings about poverty into the discussion, REFRAMING POVERTY integrates what is valid about each perspective and offers a deeper understanding of poverty that suggests wiser action to reduce it.
We are all deeply connected to poverty through our own experience or through that of our families and forebears. By bringing feelings about poverty into the discussion, REFRAMING POVERTY integrates what is valid about each perspective and offers a deeper understanding of poverty that suggests wiser action to reduce it.
- GenresNonfictionSocial Science
212 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 1, 2019
70 people are currently reading
98 people want to read
About the author
Eric Meade
2 books4 followersERIC MEADE is a futurist, speaker, and consultant serving nonprofits, foundations, and government agencies. He is the author of Reframing Poverty: New Thinking and Feeling About Humanity's Greatest Challenge. He is the principal at the Whole Mind Strategy Group, a consulting consortium based in Superior, Colorado. He teaches graduate courses on strategic planning and social innovation at American University’s School of International Service in Washington, DC.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
January 8, 2019
This book reminds me of Evicted. It's a different way to look at poverty. It's definitely a subject that should be addressed much more than it actually is. I gained some better insight into the world of poverty from reading this book. Everyone should read this book or something similar simply as an eye opener. I recommend this one.
March 24, 2020
This book will definitely provoke some heated discussions. Often times I caught myself wanting to hurl the book against the wall, but I remembered I remembered it was a ebook and my phone would’ve gotten destroyed. But, seriously this book is a well researched and analyzed work on poverty. And the question is how can you put something down you’ve never experienced?
Often times Insee a lot of people putting down others who are going through poverty. They quickly presume that they’re lazy, unmotivated, on drugs, or are on Government assistance. This books touches on all the emotions linked to it and approaches the problems from different perspectives. But beware! You’ll need an open mind and lots of patience while reading this book. Thanks to NetGalley and Canyon House for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Often times Insee a lot of people putting down others who are going through poverty. They quickly presume that they’re lazy, unmotivated, on drugs, or are on Government assistance. This books touches on all the emotions linked to it and approaches the problems from different perspectives. But beware! You’ll need an open mind and lots of patience while reading this book. Thanks to NetGalley and Canyon House for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
August 24, 2019
48/52 books read in 2019.
Provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This might be one of the most important books I've read and I would recommend it to everyone who wants to make this world a better place for all.
As you can see by my rating and bookshelves: I thoroughly loved this book.
This isn't a self help book, but it definitely helped me see how I should change in my social justice work/aspirations. I fall into the emotion anger, I get so angry at the injustices in this world. This book has shown me that just coming at any problem from a point of anger doesn't necessarily help if we actually want to help the people in need. Our priority should be those in need, not carrying out our plans because we came up with them. We need to collaborate and diversify our ideas instead of getting stuck in our own emotion.
Provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This might be one of the most important books I've read and I would recommend it to everyone who wants to make this world a better place for all.
As you can see by my rating and bookshelves: I thoroughly loved this book.
This isn't a self help book, but it definitely helped me see how I should change in my social justice work/aspirations. I fall into the emotion anger, I get so angry at the injustices in this world. This book has shown me that just coming at any problem from a point of anger doesn't necessarily help if we actually want to help the people in need. Our priority should be those in need, not carrying out our plans because we came up with them. We need to collaborate and diversify our ideas instead of getting stuck in our own emotion.
December 14, 2025
4.5* The title fits the book very well. Its main focus is how we perceive poverty and how it can be conceptualised. On the upside, Meade clearly avoids simple explanations for complex phenomena. On the downside, he can sound almost esoteric at times.
That said, I really liked the Plinko board metaphor. As a bioinformatician by training, I tend to feel both excited and wary when people outside the field start talking about chaos theory, nonlinear systems, and complexity science, but I think Meade gets the idea just right. I was also impressed by how he links social class with Loevinger's ego-developmental sequence without coming across as paternalistic, instead grounding his observations in statistical data.
Overall, this book is excellent food for thought and left me surprisingly hopeful. On the one hand, Meade openly admits that "eradicating poverty" may not be a realistic goal. In his own words:
On the other hand, almost contradicting himself, he does concede that:
The way he weaves these arguments throughout the book ultimately makes me accept that both of these ideas can be true at the same time.
That said, I really liked the Plinko board metaphor. As a bioinformatician by training, I tend to feel both excited and wary when people outside the field start talking about chaos theory, nonlinear systems, and complexity science, but I think Meade gets the idea just right. I was also impressed by how he links social class with Loevinger's ego-developmental sequence without coming across as paternalistic, instead grounding his observations in statistical data.
Overall, this book is excellent food for thought and left me surprisingly hopeful. On the one hand, Meade openly admits that "eradicating poverty" may not be a realistic goal. In his own words:
This framing belies the notion that we will ever “eradicate poverty.” Societies will continue to increase in complexity, and there will always be those whose own complexity has fallen behind. We will just adjust and expand our objective definition of poverty, as we have many times before. (Referring back to the emotional definition of poverty in Chapter 1, we will reset the poverty threshold to the level of material lack that produces a significant emotional response in the context of the times.)
On the other hand, almost contradicting himself, he does concede that:
We do know how to eradicate poverty. We have been doing it for 200,000 years. We have brought the poverty rate down from 100.0 percent to a mere 10.7 percent, and most of that decrease has occurred during the last 200 years. During the same period, we have increased global life expectancy from twenty-nine to over seventy years,4 the five-year survival rate from 57.3 percent to 92.7 percent,5 and adult literacy rates from 10 to over 80 percent. We know exactly what we’re doing!
The way he weaves these arguments throughout the book ultimately makes me accept that both of these ideas can be true at the same time.
August 9, 2019
Reframing Poverty: new Thinking and Feeling About Humanity's Greatest Challenge from Eric Meade is the type of book that should help the discussion and activity surrounding poverty improve.
In acknowledging the different ways that most people view poverty Meade also highlights why very few people will be in complete agreement with the entire book. Which is not, in and of itself, a bad thing, disagreement and debate usually leads to beneficial tweaks to both ideas and policy. It is only when we are too wed to our viewpoint, which quite often is based on only a partial understanding of the overall problem, that disagreement becomes an impenetrable barrier to better processes.
While this book certainly points toward some policy ideas, I think its greatest potential lies in its ability, one hopes, to generate more open-minded and open-hearted discussions. We need fewer partial solutions that only alleviate one aspect of the problem without actually helping to create an environment for people to make real and long term change and more holistic approaches that can move us toward making a serious impact on poverty in the world.
I would recommend this to anyone who wonders why, with all that seems to be done, and all that is definitely said, our progress seems to have stalled out. Yes, as Meade says, we have made significant progress, but that is measured from a starting point well before our industrialized society, so that fact, while true, can be misleading. This book will offer ideas about both poverty itself as well as how and why we think about it as we do.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
In acknowledging the different ways that most people view poverty Meade also highlights why very few people will be in complete agreement with the entire book. Which is not, in and of itself, a bad thing, disagreement and debate usually leads to beneficial tweaks to both ideas and policy. It is only when we are too wed to our viewpoint, which quite often is based on only a partial understanding of the overall problem, that disagreement becomes an impenetrable barrier to better processes.
While this book certainly points toward some policy ideas, I think its greatest potential lies in its ability, one hopes, to generate more open-minded and open-hearted discussions. We need fewer partial solutions that only alleviate one aspect of the problem without actually helping to create an environment for people to make real and long term change and more holistic approaches that can move us toward making a serious impact on poverty in the world.
I would recommend this to anyone who wonders why, with all that seems to be done, and all that is definitely said, our progress seems to have stalled out. Yes, as Meade says, we have made significant progress, but that is measured from a starting point well before our industrialized society, so that fact, while true, can be misleading. This book will offer ideas about both poverty itself as well as how and why we think about it as we do.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
March 11, 2021
Is poverty caused by a mindset of the poor, a lack of opportunity, a lack a personal responsibility or the stress effects of being poor? One could say yes to one or more of these. Certainly there does not have to be one cause. In order to lift one's self out of poverty they must have a proper mindset. We can each create our own opportunities. We should each take personal responsibility for our lives. I think most people have a grip on the reality of poverty. Those that are actually living it may not. They may be blind to it or think that is just their reality in life. Any way you look at it, it is an unfortunate situation.
December 10, 2021
Very thoughtful and nuanced work on the nature of poverty and how we should discuss it on a personal, political, and social level. Author did a phenomenal job providing examples on all sides of the political spectrum to show the complexity of poverty throughout the world, and whether or not poverty is something that is systemic or individualized. A quick read.
February 1, 2024
Short, concise & amazing!
April 18, 2019
Poverty in all its multitudinous forms is not an easy subject to broach. An age-old problem, poverty, its root causes, as well as poverty reduction have all been studied and theorized, it seems, ad infinitum. It is not often that someone presents poverty in a more nuanced way than generalized and ubiquitous thinking on poverty. In Reframing Poverty: New Thinking and Feeling About Humanity’s Greatest Challenge, Eric Meade takes a deep dive into how poverty is more of an emotional construct that evokes feeling as opposed to the more widely read and globally accepted set of data points. Meade’s conclusions take some time and thinking to wrap your brain around to be sure. In fact, I had to put this book down several times to keep from seething. I do, however, appreciate new ideas that can be engaged in rather than reading the same poverty reduction principles that seem to keep vulnerable communities trapped in a cycle of poverty with Sisyphean tendencies.
It has been a very long time since I jotted down notes in a book I was reading. Reframing Povertywill make you do that! There is so much about poverty packed into this book that serious thinkers on the matter won’t want to miss any of Meade’s points. In fact, it should be critical reading for those who are on the perpetual frontlines of poverty reduction. Depending on your vantage point Meade's conclusions on poverty can either make you comfortable or very uncomfortable. I often fell in the latter group. I found many of Meade’s points about poverty were bolstered by using examples over and over again about the black community like the Moynihan Report, The Bell Curve, single motherhood, the welfare state, broken families, black men in the prison system and even an excerpt from the Brookings Institute about black and Hispanic poverty. The singular juxtaposition to these examples was Ben Carson’s journey out of poverty with his mother as a catalyst. When I started reading Reframing Poverty I assumed poverty would be discussed within a global framework, not simply an American one largely with a direct arrow pointed at black poverty. That was disappointing.
Much of Reframing Poverty accounts for reasons why poor people remain trapped in poverty including not working hard enough to escape it to not having the mental fortitude to think about one’s future outside of poverty. Instead, immediate gratification trumps all else and creates outcomes counter to socioeconomic mobility. Meade does his due diligence to back up his claims. The bibliography and endnotes are extensive. It just so happens that my personal thoughts on poverty lean more towards societal ills that contribute to poverty. Certainly, society cannot be blamed solely for poverty, but it also cannot be held blameless either. Poverty is complex. Meade warns his readers that in order to advance the conversation about poverty we need to work through our emotions about it. I’m not sure it’s that easy, but I do understand where Meade is coming from. If we don’t think about poverty differently the same trite solutions about poverty will continue to burden reducing it.
While there is much in the book that vexed my sensibilities about poverty I can genuinely appreciate Meade’s conclusions. I was hoping to see more about humanity, compassion and even faith in how to deal with poverty, but didn’t read much of that. I believe that’s Meade’s point: We need to work past raw emotions in order to see poverty in a broader sense to improve the world.
It has been a very long time since I jotted down notes in a book I was reading. Reframing Povertywill make you do that! There is so much about poverty packed into this book that serious thinkers on the matter won’t want to miss any of Meade’s points. In fact, it should be critical reading for those who are on the perpetual frontlines of poverty reduction. Depending on your vantage point Meade's conclusions on poverty can either make you comfortable or very uncomfortable. I often fell in the latter group. I found many of Meade’s points about poverty were bolstered by using examples over and over again about the black community like the Moynihan Report, The Bell Curve, single motherhood, the welfare state, broken families, black men in the prison system and even an excerpt from the Brookings Institute about black and Hispanic poverty. The singular juxtaposition to these examples was Ben Carson’s journey out of poverty with his mother as a catalyst. When I started reading Reframing Poverty I assumed poverty would be discussed within a global framework, not simply an American one largely with a direct arrow pointed at black poverty. That was disappointing.
Much of Reframing Poverty accounts for reasons why poor people remain trapped in poverty including not working hard enough to escape it to not having the mental fortitude to think about one’s future outside of poverty. Instead, immediate gratification trumps all else and creates outcomes counter to socioeconomic mobility. Meade does his due diligence to back up his claims. The bibliography and endnotes are extensive. It just so happens that my personal thoughts on poverty lean more towards societal ills that contribute to poverty. Certainly, society cannot be blamed solely for poverty, but it also cannot be held blameless either. Poverty is complex. Meade warns his readers that in order to advance the conversation about poverty we need to work through our emotions about it. I’m not sure it’s that easy, but I do understand where Meade is coming from. If we don’t think about poverty differently the same trite solutions about poverty will continue to burden reducing it.
While there is much in the book that vexed my sensibilities about poverty I can genuinely appreciate Meade’s conclusions. I was hoping to see more about humanity, compassion and even faith in how to deal with poverty, but didn’t read much of that. I believe that’s Meade’s point: We need to work past raw emotions in order to see poverty in a broader sense to improve the world.
January 16, 2019
The author of this book’s goal is to make the reader rethink their feelings and emotions when confronted with poverty. And boy does he succeed at this.
At times I was flabbergasted, angry, and distraught. Eric Meade begins by defining poverty for us in new way. It evoked such a strong reaction that I had begun writing a review for this book nearly as soon as I began reading, I was so viscerally upset with Mr. Meade. He defines poverty through the eyes of a viewer. We know someone is in poverty if it evokes a strong emotional reaction in us, the viewer. This definition felt wrong on so many levels. He anticipates readers feeling that way, and offers a weak counter argument for why we would be wrong. He claims it is important to frame is from the viewers perspective because viewers typically have the power when “doing” something about it, whether is politics, program design, or humanitarian efforts.
At this point in the book I nearly stopped reading as I felt like the author and I must have such differing opinions I’d never agree with anything he said. But I needed to write this review and I have a strong aversion to not finishing a book I start... so on I went.
And I’m so glad I did. There were a few moments throughout the book where his arguments were weak, but ultimately what Mr. Mead is attempting to do is bring everyone to the table in order to properly address poverty. To do that, he validates many emotions and opinions of people whom I strongly disagree with. This was hard to stomach as I read, however he is right in that we cannot solve poverty if we come at it from just our own perspectives. It’s going to take the buy-in from many different communities to create supports that alleviate poverty.
I so appreciated his Plinko board metaphor when it comes to people in poverty “making it out.” It gave a great visual while still validating the many reasons people are in poverty and stay in poverty. I also had not heard of Loevinger’s development of ego model. It made so much sense to me even beyond the conversation of poverty. A question I have is how do we get MORE of our society moving toward increased ego development as I feel as though I encounter people daily at the lower ends of this.
All in all, a good, frustrating at times, read. I think the author is on the right track toward uniting various people to the same cause. And his proposed solutions seem reasonable and actionable if we have the support from many.
Thank you Net Galley for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
At times I was flabbergasted, angry, and distraught. Eric Meade begins by defining poverty for us in new way. It evoked such a strong reaction that I had begun writing a review for this book nearly as soon as I began reading, I was so viscerally upset with Mr. Meade. He defines poverty through the eyes of a viewer. We know someone is in poverty if it evokes a strong emotional reaction in us, the viewer. This definition felt wrong on so many levels. He anticipates readers feeling that way, and offers a weak counter argument for why we would be wrong. He claims it is important to frame is from the viewers perspective because viewers typically have the power when “doing” something about it, whether is politics, program design, or humanitarian efforts.
At this point in the book I nearly stopped reading as I felt like the author and I must have such differing opinions I’d never agree with anything he said. But I needed to write this review and I have a strong aversion to not finishing a book I start... so on I went.
And I’m so glad I did. There were a few moments throughout the book where his arguments were weak, but ultimately what Mr. Mead is attempting to do is bring everyone to the table in order to properly address poverty. To do that, he validates many emotions and opinions of people whom I strongly disagree with. This was hard to stomach as I read, however he is right in that we cannot solve poverty if we come at it from just our own perspectives. It’s going to take the buy-in from many different communities to create supports that alleviate poverty.
I so appreciated his Plinko board metaphor when it comes to people in poverty “making it out.” It gave a great visual while still validating the many reasons people are in poverty and stay in poverty. I also had not heard of Loevinger’s development of ego model. It made so much sense to me even beyond the conversation of poverty. A question I have is how do we get MORE of our society moving toward increased ego development as I feel as though I encounter people daily at the lower ends of this.
All in all, a good, frustrating at times, read. I think the author is on the right track toward uniting various people to the same cause. And his proposed solutions seem reasonable and actionable if we have the support from many.
Thank you Net Galley for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
September 25, 2019
One thing is certain about this book: it summons you to a conversation about poverty. I mean just that. There's been a lot that's been said about poverty, policies written, enacted and charities established all over the world to "eradicate" or "combat" poverty and each working within it's own definition. The author attempts to evoke human emotion in understanding poverty and calls for a different approach, one that some would agree with and others would not, but he backs it up with detailed research and various case studies.
I come from a country that's heard and been part of this narrative since independence- and most countries in Africa, like my country, Kenya, people would have different feelings about this book. I love that the author is not forcing his suggestion down the reader's throat, but rather exploring all the ways we've defined poverty and what we've done after and how we've fallen short.
This book would make a great text for discussion and it's not something you read in one sitting, heaven knows I tried and couldn't because there were many times I paused to highlight text or ask questions or just say "hell, no!"
Thank you Netgalley for the eARC and I look forward to following up on the discussions that this book raises.
I come from a country that's heard and been part of this narrative since independence- and most countries in Africa, like my country, Kenya, people would have different feelings about this book. I love that the author is not forcing his suggestion down the reader's throat, but rather exploring all the ways we've defined poverty and what we've done after and how we've fallen short.
This book would make a great text for discussion and it's not something you read in one sitting, heaven knows I tried and couldn't because there were many times I paused to highlight text or ask questions or just say "hell, no!"
Thank you Netgalley for the eARC and I look forward to following up on the discussions that this book raises.
May 22, 2020
Reframing Poverty is a fascinating take on the issue of poverty. The book breaks down how people view poverty/the poor, and each "viewpoint" is tackled in detail, considering the possible pros and cons of each mindset. It then challenges readers to put aside their feelings/emotions on the subject and possibly open themselves up to a new way of thinking/feeling about poverty.
There are charts and diagrams that sort of showcase things in an easy to understand way, and it makes readers really dive deep into their own lives. Everyone has either known poverty personally, or they've known someone who has.
The author comes up with new ways to look at the problem that is poverty, creating new ideas and forcing readers to really think about what their emotions/reactions towards poverty really mean. How does seeing a homeless person make you feel. How does knowing a single mom with three kids is struggling to make ends meet make you feel? How does seeing the poor, poverty-stricken citizens of a third world country make you feel? And how can you use those emotions and mindsets to start a conversation about how to start overcoming the challenge that is poverty.
In-depth, emotional at times, and quite thought-provoking.
4 stars from me!
There are charts and diagrams that sort of showcase things in an easy to understand way, and it makes readers really dive deep into their own lives. Everyone has either known poverty personally, or they've known someone who has.
The author comes up with new ways to look at the problem that is poverty, creating new ideas and forcing readers to really think about what their emotions/reactions towards poverty really mean. How does seeing a homeless person make you feel. How does knowing a single mom with three kids is struggling to make ends meet make you feel? How does seeing the poor, poverty-stricken citizens of a third world country make you feel? And how can you use those emotions and mindsets to start a conversation about how to start overcoming the challenge that is poverty.
In-depth, emotional at times, and quite thought-provoking.
4 stars from me!
February 4, 2019
Note: I received a digital ARC of this book from NetGalley.
In Reframing Poverty, Eric Meade shows a different way of thinking about poverty, its causes and possible steps to reduce it. He takes up the task to explain poverty through the feelings it evokes by looking at it from the outside. Whether it's anger, disgust, or sadness, the tries to validate all kinds of emotions linked to it and approaches the problems from different perspectives. The author emphasizes that life is nonlinear and the "path out of poverty is not a straight line."
Meade's goal is to start a serious conversation by inviting everyone to the discussion, so you won't agree with all his arguments, but they're definitely worth listening to.
Overall, Reframing Poverty is a very thought-provoking read with a unique point of view of a very relevant topic. You'll probably have mixed feelings while reading it, but I think that's the author's intention.
In Reframing Poverty, Eric Meade shows a different way of thinking about poverty, its causes and possible steps to reduce it. He takes up the task to explain poverty through the feelings it evokes by looking at it from the outside. Whether it's anger, disgust, or sadness, the tries to validate all kinds of emotions linked to it and approaches the problems from different perspectives. The author emphasizes that life is nonlinear and the "path out of poverty is not a straight line."
Meade's goal is to start a serious conversation by inviting everyone to the discussion, so you won't agree with all his arguments, but they're definitely worth listening to.
Overall, Reframing Poverty is a very thought-provoking read with a unique point of view of a very relevant topic. You'll probably have mixed feelings while reading it, but I think that's the author's intention.
kindle
February 2, 2019The author wrote a thought-provoking account about what poverty is and how to fix it. The problem with our society is that the people attempting to fix this issue have never experienced being poor and have no clue the effects that it has on the people experiencing poverty. The author's approach of laying out how it affects all of us whether or not we live in poverty was interesting. I found this to be an interesting read.
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