White Trash by Nancy Isenberg

White Trash

by

Nancy Isenberg

     Author Nancy Isenberg has written a book that I can't unread.  Several years ago there was a television show called "Myth Busters"that did experiments to show whether or not various things people generally thought had any science behind them.   In a similar way the non-fiction book "White Trash"  qualifies as a "myth buster".  The book begins in the 1600's and follows the history of the United States to the present.  The author explains how poor people were manipulated and used from the first immigrates to todays persons of poverty.  They were sent into the dangerous wilderness to tame areas, only to be sent further west when the job was done and higher class people moved into the frontier towns, called them squatters and took away their homesteads.  When the landless poor were finally allowed to vote, their vote was courted only for laws and policies to be written to prevent their upward mobility.  They were lied to and used as cannon fodder in the civil war, during which the southern aristocrats were out to make sure rich people remained on top of the social order.  In example after example, the author describes the way our belief in the American Dream is an exaggeration of opportunities that are not available for many of our citizens.  The founding fathers, whom are we are taught in school were all about building a democracy, believed that poor people were badly bred individuals who were not the same as those from better stock.  Writings of Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin were cited to show their prejudices against the lower classes.  Thankfully, when the reader is about to throw up their hands as each of our leaders is shown to have made statements and written words that showed their snobbery, the book arrives at FDR and LBJ.  Both of whom are described as men who worked hard to try to make changes and provide opportunities for the poor people of America.  LBJ was described as a man who worked not only to make opportunities available to poor whites but he also included civil rights in his policies.  Prior to these two men,  and since these two men,  examples were not shown that any progress has been made to help people obtain adequate education, housing or medical care.  The only other positive example cited was Obama's ACA.  The book describes the phases our country went through while they were justifying looking down at our poor population.  The author explained eugenics, which was so popular in the early part of the 1900s, and examples of the laws that were passed at that time to prevent the spread of the bad genes poor people were supposed to have, were cited.  As hard as this book was to get through it is a book that every American should read.  It was very disillusioning and a person could easily get depressed reading it.  In fact it was very hard on someone as idealistic as I am.  Nevertheless, it is a book that is well worth struggling through.  Please click on the author's name and book title above to learn more information and enjoy the video that follows.  It is an interview with the author that took place August  2016.