$2.00 a Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America, by Kathryn J. Edin and H. Luke Shaefer, has been selected as next year’s pick for the Washtenaw Reads community initiative. Washtenaw Reads aims to “promote reading and civic dialogue through the shared experience of reading and discussing a common book” and is hosted by area libraries.
In $2.00 a Day, Edin and Shaefer analyze welfare policy and interview families living in extreme poverty to explain why a rising number of households in the U.S. are surviving on $2.00 per person, per day. The book won the 2016 Hillman Prize for Book Journalism for service to the common good.
This year’s theme is “A very good read” and $2.00 a Day was selected for meeting criteria such as “engaging and thought-provoking” and ability to “lead to constructive dialogues across our diverse communities.” Forthcoming events will be announced soon on the Washtenaw Reads events page.
H. Luke Shaefer is an associate professor of social work and public policy and director of Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan. His research focuses on the effectiveness of the United States social safety net in serving low-wage workers and economically disadvantaged families.