Hands to Work: Three Women Navigate the New World of Welfare Deadlines and Work Rules – An Intimate Journalistic Portrait of Poverty and American Families

by LynNell Hancock

In this illuminating examination of our national welfare policy, award-winning veteran reporter and writer LynNell Hancock offers an intimate, heart-wrenching, and beautifully rendered portrait of three women and their families as they struggle to find their way through the new rules and regulations of the public assistance system. Hands to Work takes us on a journey within the day-to-day struggles of these women, describing their hopes, regrets, and deepest dreams. Hancock demystifies contemporary misconceptions of poverty and illustrates how welfare policy and reform have been conceived, offering a thought-provoking look at the most divisive questions about America's neediest citizens.

Genres: Sociology

336 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2001

Reviews

[Pam · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book wasn't bad, but not something I'd read again or refer back to. The title really should have been something like "Three Women in the Bronx Fight Giuliani's New Welfare Program," because rather than being an all-encompassing book on the state of welfare in the U.S. (or TANF, as it's now called), the focus of this book is very narrow.

The stories of the three women are fairly interesting and give an insight how tough it is to need public assistance. Still, Hancock spends a lot of time talking about the horrible state of affairs without offering any solution, and she doesn't really write about anything that someone keeping on top of current affairs wouldn't already be aware of. This book is not going to change anyone's mind who agrees with Giuliani's program, and probably wouldn't serve to motivate anyone who disagrees either.

[Liz Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

While discussing the philosophical issues surrounding welfare and welfare to work programs, Hancock reminds the reader of the plight of three NYC women who utilize the welfare system. Hancock follows them through their highs and lows within the system, and tells the reader of the outcome of each woman’s life (and welfare case). The reader gets the feeling that the writer holds both positive and negative views of Giuliani’s welfare reforms and also holds split views on welfare itself.

[Monica Ravizza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Follows 3 very different families liing in NYC through the era of welfare reform. An insightful book for anyone who wants to bitch about free-loading welfare queens-this book tells quite a different story and presents clear evidence as to why welfare reform is a fraud.

[Elyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books on welfare reform in NYC. The recent history of Guiliani's welfare-to-work policies is told through the stories of three different welfare recipients.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mixture of narratives about three women navigating the welfare system along with reporting about the history and current state of welfare in the U.S., particularly in New York.

[Sarah]

I like anecdotal stories of people's lives and I think this book gives a good glimpse into three families struggling to navigate the welfare system.

[Jonathan]

None

[Carrie]

sociology

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hancock follows three women as they jump through hoops in Giuliani's New York. Brenda, the book's central protagonist and a stand-in for the mainstream TANF recipient, is an African American mother of three and former foster youth struggling to put food on the table after she graduates from "the dole" to the low wage food service industry. Alina, a Russian Jewish immigrant and aspiring medical student, faces bewildering barriers to completing her undergraduate degree while also completing workfare busywork. Christine, a Latina and heroin addict, demonstrates the plight of the hardest to reach—those whose substance abusers disorders, behavioral health conditions, and mental health statuses make "work first" an impossible strategy.

"Hands to Work" contributes to an important niche of social policy literature. In sharing the women's stories, it demonstrates the often patronizing experience of navigating the Kafkaesque welfare bureaucracy. The tome also shows the infuriating right wing impulse to craft social policy based on "morality," not based on what works for improving outcomes across the lifespan. An evocative, substantive read, for sure.