Review of
Instaread Summary of White Trash The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America by
Nancy Isenberg
Five out of five stars
For some time
it appears that only people that understand history know that the passage in
the Declaration of Independence “. . . that all men are created equal” did not
include all people. In this context the word “men” was referring to all
landowning white males. Females, Native Americans and free and enslaved blacks
were not considered equal to their “betters.” The purpose of this book is to
emphasize that fact regarding white people and point out that it lingers today.
The phrase
“(poor) white trash” has been used for many years to refer to the economic
underclass of white people. One strong point in the summary points out the
critical fact that there are far more poor white people in the United States
than there are of any minority group. Yet, some of the more racist elements in
the society are convinced that most of the people on welfare are people of
color.
One great point made in the summary is that poor
whites tend to have a more racist trend in their thought patterns. Since they
are looked down on by wealthier whites, being prejudiced against people of
color is one way that they can increase their feelings of self worth.
The summary
mentions one point that is certain to be controversial and that is that there
is less opportunity for the poor to become well off in the United States than
the popular view claims. Secondly, it is a historical fact that poor immigrants
have been discriminated against and exploited since the states were colonies. Before
there were slaves, there were indentured servants, people that worked for years
to pay off the cost of being transported across the Atlantic.
While the story
of the role of the poor white people in American society is not untold, people
that know the history are well aware of what has transpired. The problem is
that the history has been overwhelmed by consistent and broad claims of opportunity
that simply do not exist. While there are uplifting success stories, the
reality is that it is harder to rise from poverty than is claimed.
There are many
good points made in this summary, convincing the reader that the book is well
worth reading. For in the words of a famous sportscaster, “It tells it like it
is.”
This book was made available for free for review
purposes.
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