Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com

Trattner provides in-depth examination of developments in child welfare, public health, and the evolution of social work as a profession, showing how all these changes affected the treatment of the poor and needy in America. He explores the impact of public policies on social workers and other helping professions -- all against the backdrop of social and intellectual trends in American history. From Poor Law to Welfare State directly addresses racism and sexism and pays special attention to the worsening problems of child abuse, neglect, and homelessness. Topics new to this sixth edition include:

A new Preface and Conclusion, and substantially updated Bibliographies

Written for students in social work and other human service professions, From Poor Law to Welfare State: A History of Social Welfare in America is also an essential resource for historians, political scientists, sociologists, and policymakers.

---

Customer Reviews

Average Customer Rating:

School book	Customer Rating:
Very interesting articles that pertain to the evolution of social welfare in the U.S. well written.

New info

Customer Rating:

This book, though dry at times, gives a realistic and more complete look at American history. This was required reading for a college course I took. The history contained here is not what is taught in highschool and I was surprised at just how much I did not know about life in America before I was born. America has a very ugly past and present in many ways. We have oppressed, demoralized, institutionalized, degraded, segregated, stereotyped, and persecuted millions of persons over the years. What is unfortunate is that with all our advances in business and technology... there are still single mothers living on the streets, starving with their children. There are still foreign workers being payed much less than minimum wage. There are still persons living with mental illness being drugged and institutionalized. The rich are still getting richer, as they exploit the poor and working classes. America has much to be proud of. America also has much to be ashamed of. This book sheds light on some of the crimes that we (America) has committed against its own people, as we continue to point fingers at others wrongs.

A broad, sweeping history of America and Charity

Customer Rating:

Trattner takes the reader back in time to define how modern American has developed its current welfare state. Certainly this is a task that cannot be fully done in only 400 pages. The only weakness in this book is that it is too brief. It does not go into enough detail, but it is comprehensive enough to give a solid introduction to the modern American welfare state and the issues that face America's poor. This is a good book.