October 28, 2004 | Read Time: 2 minutes
American Dream: Three Women, Ten Kids, and a Nation’s Drive to End Welfare
by Jason DeParle
President Bill Clinton campaigned in 1992 to “end welfare as we know it,” and, four years later, that slogan became a law that has reduced the number of people on welfare by nine million. This book, by Jason DeParle, a senior writer for The New York Times, discusses the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act and how the 1996 law changed the lives of the poor.
Mr. DeParle interweaves the stories of three single mothers and welfare recipients in Milwaukee, where then-Governor Tommy Thompson put in place one of the most sweeping new welfare programs, with those of policy makers in Washington. He tells how analysts at think tanks and members of the 104th Congress shaped the legislation, which restructured welfare by giving block grants to states and imposing strict time limits and work rules.
The three cousins who Mr. DeParle interviewed over the course of seven years have fared differently under the state’s Wisconsin Works program. Angie Jobe holds down two jobs and has a 401(k), but still struggles to cover her family’s expenses. Jewell Reed also has a job, but it leaves her too busy to give her children the attention they require. Opal Caples is consumed by her cocaine addiction, while a string of caseworkers remain ignorant of her problems.
The author argues that the 1996 welfare overhaul has enabled many women to trade welfare checks for paychecks, but questions whether children are better off as their mothers struggle to balance multiple jobs with child rearing. He also says that too little oversight by the state led to inefficiency, and sometimes mismanagement, among the four nonprofit organizations and the for-profit corporation administering the welfare program in Wisconsin.
Mr. DeParle received support from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation and the Smith Richardson Foundation.
Publisher: Penguin Putnam, 375 Hudson Street, New York, N.Y. 10014; (800) 788-6262, (212) 366-2272, fax (212) 366-2952; http://www.penguinputnam.com; 350 pages; $25.95; I.S.B.N. 0-670-89275-0.
