In The Working Poor: Invisible in America, David K. Shipler tells the story of a handful of people he interviewed and followed in their fight against poverty over the course of six years. David Shipler is an accomplished writer and consultant on social issues. His knowledge, experience and extensive field work are authoritative and reliable. Shipler describes a vicious cycle of low-paying jobs, health problems, abuse, addiction and other factors that combine to create a mountain of adversity that is virtually impossible to overcome. The American Dream and the promise of prosperity through hard work fails to deliver for the 35 million people in America who constitute the working poor. Since there is neither a problem nor a solution to poverty, Shipler ties all the issues together to show how they intensify each other. Poor children are abused, drugs and gangs run rampant in poor neighborhoods, low-wage jobs are dead-end, immigrants are exploited, high-interest loans and credit cards attract people in times of crisis, while Unhealthy diets and lack of healthcare cause a multitude of problems. . The only way we can begin to see positive change is through a community approach that brings together poverty-stricken individuals, communities, businesses and government to come together to commit to improving all the areas that need help. The people David Shipler interviewed are the kind of people you see every day working in restaurants, Wal-Marts, and gas stations. They do not fall within the prejudicial description of those who scrounge social assistance beneficiaries. They are people on the edge of the poverty line, affected by a multitude of problems that turn into a life of debt and constant crises. Shipler studies these workers ... middle of paper ... help the working middle class out of poverty or help the working poor out of poverty. Furthermore, the working poor themselves lack the knowledge and power to demand reform. David Shipler says it best when he writes: “Relief will come, if ever, from an amalgam that recognizes both the obligations of society through government and business, and the obligations of the individual through work and family – and commitment of both society and the individual. " (Shipler 5786-5788) It is time for America to open its eyes and see the invisible working poor. Works Cited Shipler, David K. The Working Poor: Invisible in America (Vintage). Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Kindle edition, 2008 "The American Dream: Out of Reach?" America Press 3/10/2011: Digital Weekly news from the United States (4/20/2012)