Poverty in Rural America : A Case Study

This case study of poverty in the contemporary United States examines a problem that is widespread but little studied: run-down neighborhoods of intergenerational poverty scattered on the rural fringes of urban areas. Intertwining historical, economic, social, cultural, and psychological material and basing her work on a decade of participant observation, the author provides a new understanding of the lives and actions of nonfarm rural poor people and identifies the causes of their marginal situation. Beginning with a typical day in the life of one family, Fitchen illustrates in specific and personal terms the endemic problems unsatisfactory employment, low and insecure income, social marginality, inadequate education, neglected health problems, substandard housing, and low self-esteem that plague rural depressed areas. She describes the ways people perceive their problems and goals, the constraints they face, and the solutions they have developed, looking always for common patterns of thought and action and an explanation of these patterns that will be useful to students, practitioners, and policymakers. Among her conclusions are concrete suggestions for breaking the cycle of entrenched rural poverty.

"Clear and compassionate . . ." -- Rural America

"The picture that emerges here is not pretty: The families are debt-ridden, with little chance of getting out from under; the men are at once docile and angry, the women depressed and often ill. Worse, the children seem doomed to repeat the travails of their parents . . ." -- The New Leader

"The understanding one is able to glean from this work concerning the system of rural poverty serves as a requisite to planners, policymakers, and program developers, as well as front-line workers, clinicians, and community organizers." -- American Journal of Orthopsychiatry