David K.Shipler notes in his New York Times review of Linda Tirado’s book Hand to Mouth: Living in Bootstrap America,
It’s rare to hear directly from the poor. Usually their voices are filtered through journalists or activists. So Tirado’s raw clarity is startling. It’s nice to imagine her ranting to a class of stunned M.B.A. candidates who are preparing to employ people like her; they would learn how denying dignity corrodes attitudes toward work and authority. In her world, medical practitioners are condescending and preachy, caseworkers are cruelly imperious, government systems are Kafkaesque and the downward spiral at the workplace is defeating. (“‘Hand to Mouth’ by Linda Tirado”)

On the other hand, Joanna Scutts observes,
Linda Tirado is angry, and she wants to make you angry, too. Even when her voice is calm and clear, lining up cold numbers and hard truths, it’s lit up by fury, ignited by the experience of being poor in the richest country in the world. Let me be clear (to use one of Tirado’s favorite turns of phrase): This is not a criticism. Given the story she has to tell, of injustice and indignity, it is remarkable that she, and the millions of other Americans living that story, aren’t angrier. (“The Poor Don’t Need Pity”)

Prompt:

Tirado’s book receives favorable receptions and reviews from critics; additionally, she adds to the general conversation of poverty in America. While she rejects that people in poverty should be hardly seen nor heard of and subserviently submit to the role of the ‘model’ poor person, she raises several issues that examine the reality of poverty in a blunt and focused manner. Select one specific ‘issue’ and create an argumentative thesis in reaction. In various body paragraphs support your thesis with exceptional topic sentences and evidence taking from the book as well as government or educational sites (.org or .edu only). Your discussion and analysis should not only explain the point but establish relevance. Furthermore, provide a fair and logical counter argument.

Steps:

1. Complete the pre-writing activities that are most helpful to you
2. Review all your annotations and Reading Group work
3. Conduct additional but limited research (similar to Reading Group work) on the selected issues; use .gov or .edu sites only; you may also use a documentary

Develop a thesis statement