Rachel and her children

Reading Prompt #2
Rachel and Her Children

Our exploration of the 1980s returns back to the domestic scene and the amazing epidemic of homelessness that erupts during the decade. Rachel and Her Children is not so much an analysis of the problem of homelessness as it is a cry of anguish about the problem as well as its absurdity and cruelty. Much of the book consists of Kozol simply letting people speak for themselves about their lives. It is of further value in showing the much maligned and often detested “recipients” of taxes that so angered the “payers” of taxes who quit the Democratic Party for the GOP, as discussed in Chain Reaction.

Submit a brief response paper (about 600 words) answering at least one of the following questions.

1. Kozol’s book offers an immense number of factors that cause and exacerbate the problem of homelessness. But which one do you think is the absolute worst? Or most tragic? Focus on one factor and explain how it, more than any other, contributed to the awful plight of homeless families in the 1980s.
2. If this book reached you on an emotional level, discuss that in your paper. What did you think of homeless people before reading this? Or did you even think of homeless people before reading this? How did this book change your views?
3. Think of the ways we have characterized the 1980s so far in this class. Does this book change your view of the decade? Or reinforce how you already felt about it? How so?

Here is the book….
https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=-Nc7A5YKn_8C&;hl=en&pg=GBS.PA26