Poor Americans: how the white poor live

Published in 1971, Poor Americans: How the White Poor Live emerged from a period of intense sociopolitical examination in the United States, specifically following the heightened awareness of poverty sparked by the mid-1960s War on Poverty. Marc Pilisuk, a social psychologist and academic, curated these essays and studies to challenge the prevailing narrative that poverty was an issue exclusive to minority communities, instead highlighting the systemic neglect of marginalized white populations in rural and industrial pockets of the country.

The volume was released through Transaction Books, an imprint dedicated to scholarly work in the social sciences, and distributed by E.P. Dutton. Its design reflects the stark, functional aesthetic typical of academic sociology texts of the early 1970s, prioritizing dense, research-heavy content over graphic flourish. The collection was intended as a critical intervention in social policy, aimed at academics and policymakers, and served as a significant, if sober, contribution to the discourse on socioeconomic inequality during that decade.