A Welfare Mother

by Susan Sheehan

Book by Sheehan, Susan

Genres: Poverty

Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1976

Reviews

[Rachel B · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This is a straightforward profile. There's not any analyzing from the author about what the subject, Carmen, did, that was right or wrong; it just states the facts and readers draw their own conclusions.

I found Carmen's attitude toward life in general to be a very typical poverty mindset - very shortsighted, a bit defeatist, lacking ambition. And for those in poverty, it's normal to be surrounded by others in the same situations, with all the same values, which is a dangerous place to be.

A few drawbacks:

It is very hands-off in the storytelling, presented without bias, mostly. This could be a good thing in some ways, but it lacked a fire, if you will, and that made the book more frustrating to get through.

There's profanity, and many sexual references, including child marriage/abuse, and drug abuse.

It's a look at the welfare system of the 1960s and 1970s, which is interesting to me, but I think most people will benefit from reading a more modern account to understand the current situation.

[Riley McGlynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

going through the life of a immigrant mother in 60s-70s Brooklyn living off of welfare we see the reality of the poverty during this era, the effect of welfare and its consequences. My take on this book is not that welfare stagnated Mrs. Santana and stopped her from getting a job, but that welfare as a system in the united states doesn’t work. Welfare cliffs cause people to lose benefits once they reach a level of income, this ultimately does not help them build up wealth or even savings so why would they work if they end up in the same spot financially regardless? This doesn’t mean welfare is a bad idea, or that it doesn’t work, because it DOES work. Just not the system the U.S. has.

[tk · Rating 1 out of 5]

with two snaps... hated it.
it is is an anthropological examination of a single mother on welfare who is using the system to take care of her frequently-misbehaved-underachieving children and the lover(s) she takes on. with that said, it (and a few other books) are the ENTIRE basis of my thesis work. read it if you have something to say that will counteract it. read it if you want to see how poor women were and continue to be pathologized and "examined" in anthropological studies that dehuminize and silence them.

[Charise · Rating 1 out of 5]

The book/essay had the potential to be very interesting, but it was very dispassionate and hard to get through. Sheehan chronicled the life of a welfare mother, and discussed various events in her life. It was very journalistic, and a little disconnected. A lot of the events described really had no point, and got a bit repetitive.

[Becca · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this book was very insightful on how the welfare system is run and how skilled this mother has become at "working the system". Some of the things this family experiences are horrific, but overall it isn't one I'd recommend.

[Claire · Rating 2 out of 5]

one woman's story about living off of welfare. It could have been written last year, but also provides much insight and some understanding to how welfare continues and who might use it.