A New York Times Notable Book of the Year

The story of a kind of poverty in America so deep that we, as a country, don’t even think exists—from a leading national poverty expert who "defies convention." (The New York Times)

Jessica Compton’s family of four would have no income if she didn’t donate plasma twice a week at her local donation center in Tennessee. Modonna Harris and her teenage daughter, Brianna, in Chicago, often have no food but spoiled milk on weekends.

After two decades of brilliant research on American poverty, Kathryn Edin noticed something she hadn’t seen before—households surviving on virtually no cash income. Edin teamed with Luke Shaefer, an expert on calculating incomes of the poor, to discover that the number of American families living on $2.00 per person, per day, was one and a half million households, including about three million children. Where do these families live? How did they get so desperately poor?

Through this book’s eye-opening analysis and many compelling profiles, moving and startling answers emerge. A landmark study on the consequences of welfare reform, $2.00 a Day delivers provocative ideas for American social policy and our national debate on income inequality.

"Powerful . . . Presents a deeply moving human face that brings the stunning numbers to life. It is an explosive book . . . The stories will make you angry and break your heart."—American Prospect

"Harrowing . . . [An] important and heart-rending book, in the tradition of Michael Harrington’s The Other America."—Los Angeles Times

This landmark investigation into the nation’s social safety net reveals:

The Crisis of Low-Wage Work: An inside look at why even full-time jobs can leave families like Jessica Compton’s and Modonna Harris’s in a state of constant economic hardship with no way out.
The Failure of Welfare Reform: A deep analysis of how the 1996 changes dismantled the cash assistance system, leading to a dramatic rise in families living with virtually no income.
Survival on No Cash: The inventive and often heartbreaking strategies families are forced to use—from selling plasma to navigating a patchwork of charities—just to get by day to day.
A Call for Social Change: A powerful conclusion that delivers provocative, evidence-based ideas for rebuilding the American social safety net and creating real opportunity for all.

$2.00 A Day

$2.00 A Day