Book Review: "Broke In America" By Joanne Samuel Goldblum

 

While this book has been written nearly three years ago it's just as relevant today as it was yesterday.

Poverty and food insecurity is often seen as a personal issue from a person who was lazy, uneducated, or on drugs.

Yet, I'm here to tell you that anyone can become poverty stricken as many of us live paycheck to paycheck away from the same.

When I divorced from a malignant narcissist I found myself in the underbelly of society. I was seen as nothing more than a homemaker of 20 years for three kids (eldest son med disabled for life with vater syndrome). I was told to use his disability to live. I was told I deserved the abuse. I was told I was nothing more than a mother.

These were just some of the commentary I was subjected to as I found myself waiting for a master judge to rule in our favor and award the 15k in arrears of child support. I found myself asking how in the world's most richest economy could I be here with a dual masters begging for food at playgrounds while my former spouse refused to appear and or pay for our three children.

How could women be found pulling garbage out of the local parks and receiving handouts from cars driving by? How, is this happening as I huddled under my emergency blanket in my car for warmth awaiting my kids to exit school on the other side of the river because I couldn't afford gas to drive back home?

As a twenty year volunteer I didn't have to go far to uncover the reason? Myths and misconceptions are prevalent these days. The blame and shame upon humans is atrocious. It's this reason that my food bank president Clancy Cash Harrison and myself created this video for TEDXTalk -https://video.search.yahoo.com/search...

This led to taking our story to the steps of the White House and to every member of Congress. My story was one of only twenty that was introduced by Sen. Rosa DeLauro (D.Conn) in Poverty to Prosperity -Community Voices - known as the day of action -Thursday October 8, 2015. https://twitter.com/dgatcha1/status/1...

While my story get the fan fair as this author it was nevertheless equally as important because I'm living this life that others speak of.

My son required specialized formula and preemie diapers when he was born. Alimentum per can was roughly almost $30 dollars. It was locked behind a glass door in supermarkets. My son was born during an emergency c-section after a placental abruption and subsequently life flighted spending two months in NICU at Janet Weis Children's Hospital in Danville, Pennsylvania.

If not for the WIC program I'd never had been able to afford such much needed formula due to his stomach reflux issues.

When others speak about poverty I'm still living it with my three kids.
I've spent the last ten years seeking full time 'living wages' to no avail.
I've watched businesses decline my application only to repost the same hiring information.

I've endured a President of the United Way note to me that I came across as 'entitled' because I'm now 'asking' for a job rather than 'volunteering' for free to work this after twenty years and being the recipient of the Points of Light Award in 2016 from the President of the United States of America -41st President George Herbert Walker Bush. https://www.pointsoflight.org/awards/...
I can discuss more but it's ad nauseum at this point because non of it matters if our voices aren't being heard.

My voice has been silenced. At this point all I can do is pray for work because getting my dual masters and living in poverty after having 30k that accrued to 100k in student loan debt, with another 100k marital debt, with another 30k medical debt and unable to get a job do to lack of credit, lack of prior work experience, and being overqualified with the masters wasn't the idea.

It's sad that welfare in my state pays more than a full time job. In fact, it pays $6 more yet, nothing is done to have the cost of living coincide with the current salaries being paid. https://www.cheatsheet.com/culture/states-welfare-recipients-paid-more-minimum-wage.html/

Women earn less than men. Women must procure day care expensive that are costly. Women need more than niceties we need employment. We need to pay women who forego careers to raise their families alone. We need to pay for that lost wage gap.

Thank you to Joanne Samuel Goldblum for this new work but sadly, I've been here doing this work and spinning the wheels without any recognition and it's maddening when you see young children graduating college being hired for low wage jobs and earning potential but parents who have families to support being allowed to falter with higher education levels and experience.