This is an account of two people from upper middle class backgrounds attempting to discover how the “other side” lives. The other side are those with limited food options, and many who depend upon government help. Much of the worlds population really does live on less than the equivalent of one dollar a day. It is the authors journey to try and understand this.
My Thoughts: While I appreciate that the authors tried to recreate what it would be like to eat on a dollar a day, it still does not bring them into the full light. They still had nice vehicles, a nice home, and pets that they could take care of without question. Not to mention they were not juggling their finances trying to get bills paid or factoring in necessities into their grocery bill such as toilet paper, cleaning supplies, or toothpaste.
I agree with the authors that yes, there is a problem, but I do not agree with their solution. Their solution is very liberal…leave it all to the government. Government legislation does not nor has it ever solved every problem. I do believe in personal responsibility. There are people who can choose to change their situations but choose not to, yet there are some people that really and truly need help that have tried everything imaginable. There is no reason not to take care of these people at a local level, but I am totally against helping anyone or anything on a federal level.
All in all I do not really care for this book. Like I said, I appreciate the problem, but I do not agree with the authors solution. Especially since they have not really and truly been there and have no way of knowing if they would be the type of person that would be motivated to get out of poverty or be happy to take handouts. There are far too many factors that are missing for me to say, “Here, read this.” I cannot in all honesty say that.
