Financial difficulties resulting from an extravagant lifestyle and excessive gambling led Fyodor Dostoevsky to pen his first novel "Poor Folk". First published in 1846, "Poor Folk" is the story of impoverished cousins Varvara Dobroselova and Makar Devushkin. The two live in run-down apartments across the street from each other in St. Petersburg. Through a series of letters to each other we learn of the suffering, humiliation, and isolation that results...

"[The author] takes us into the poorest neighborhoods of Milwaukee to tell the story of eight families on the edge. Arleen is a single mother trying to raise her two sons on the 20 dollars a month she has left after paying for their rundown apartment. Scott is a gentle nurse consumed by a heroin addiction. Lamar, a man with no legs and a neighborhood full of boys to look after, tries to work his way out of debt. Vanetta participates in a botched stickup...

After losing her parents, 14-year-old Victoria and her young twin brothers move in with their aunt. But soon after, Victoria is assaulted by her aunt's boyfriend. She runs away and has to survive life on the dangerous streets of Paraná, Argentina. Victoria crosses paths with murderous gangs and drug dealers, and even a dreaded drug lord called only The Captain. But with the help of newly found friends and her determination to survive, Victoria overcomes...

What is life like for families who are stuck in problem debt? Why do they fall into a spiral of debt in the first place, and why is it so hard to escape? The first hand stories in this book offer a unique understanding of life for families and children fighting a daily battle against poverty and debt. They give voice to some of the most underrepresented people in society, who are too often portrayed cruelly in the media and elsewhere. Drawing on...

Escribo este orientador e interesante libro, con el objeto de decir las verdades que son de mi conocimiento. Con esto no quiero decir que digo las causas que motivan la pobreza porque estas son variadas y diversas, pero si digo lo que sé. Aplico el lenguaje que hablo diariamente, porque es el que entiendo y el que entiende mi público, que precisamente son los pobres, y no es que por mi voluntad haya querido faltar al idioma de Cervantes o a la Real...

The largest UK research study on poverty and social exclusion ever conducted reveals startling levels of deprivation. 18m people are unable to afford adequate housing; 14m can't afford essential household goods; and nearly half the population have some form of financial insecurity. Defining poverty as those whose lack of resources forces them to live below a publicly agreed minimum standard, this text provides unique and detailed insights into the...

Según la ONU, más de mil millones de personas viven en ciudades miseria, en favelas, cerros, chabolas, cantegriles, campamentos y barriadas del Sur global. En este ambicioso y brillante libro, Mike Davis explora el futuro de una desigualdad radical y de una inestabilidad a punto de estallar. Davis retrata la realidad de un vasto y horrendo almacén de seres humanos desterrados de la economía mundial en ciudades pobres hiperdegradadas. Desde la...

About 1.5 million households filed bankruptcy in the last year, making bankruptcy as common as college graduation and divorce. The recession has pushed more and more families into financial collapse-with unemployment, declines in retirement wealth, and falling house values destabilizing the American middle class. Broke explores the consequences of this unprecedented growth in consumer debt and shows how excessive borrowing undermines the prosperity...

In this persuasive study, social welfare and policy expert Paul Spicker makes a case for a relational view of poverty. Poverty is much more than a lack of resources. It involves a complex set of social relationships, such as economic disadvantage, insecurity or a lack of rights. These relational elements tell us what poverty is — what it consists of, what poor people are experiencing, and what problems need to be addressed. This book examines poverty...

Kim Hopper has dedicated his career to trying to correct the problem of homelessness in the United States. In his powerful book, he draws upon his dual strengths as anthropologist and advocate to provide a deeper understanding of the roots of homelessness. He also investigates the complex attitudes brought to bear on the issue since his pioneering fieldwork with Ellen Baxter twenty years ago helped put homelessness on the public agenda. Beginning...