Laura Truchon

While reading the second part of Abramsky's book, I found it to be more personal than the first portion. I thought the first portion was full of statistics. While there were still some statistics in the second part, I thought that it seemed to focus a lot more on how the certain areas of poverty affect people, personally. I really enjoyed reading the second part because of this reason. I like when Abramsky includes stories from real people who are really being affected by different aspects of poverty. I think that by him including these real stories, it makes the whole issue of poverty realistic. I do not think that we can really learn all there is to know about poverty through statistics. I understand that it is important to know the various statistics, but I think that seeing the real, hard facts of how poverty is affecting different individuals makes it all the more important that we ALL do what we can to end poverty. I also enjoyed how he added stories about people who are doing what they can to fight poverty, because it goes to show that people really are trying to change the way society views poverty.

Potential test question:
On page 100, Abramsky talks about Ed Shurna and his work to fight homelessness. Ed Shurna stated that "there's very few stories of people we have who are able to leave homelessness, get a decent job, and pay rent without some kind of assistance" (Abramsky, 2013). Then, Abramsky goes on to say how "people accept homelessness as just a condition of modern society" (Abramsky, 2013).
What makes it so difficult for people to get out of homelessness and get back on their feet? Is it because they are so used to depending on others for assistance? Or, is it because once someone is deemed "homeless" society never looks at them the same? What are some things that America can do to show the homeless that this does not have to be a permanent thing for them, and that it can be a temporary solution to a hard time?