Book Review Of The Unwinding By George Packer

The American Dream is the belief that anyone, regardless of where they were born or the class they were born into can attain their own version of success in a society where there is equal opportunities for everyone. The American dream is not achieved by being lazy or by chance but rather through sacrifice, risk-taking and hard work. Both native-born Americans and American immigrants who work hard can achieve the American dream.
In the book the unwinding by George Packer for example, he tells the story of a young lady from a small town in Ohio by the name Tammy Thomas. According to Packer, Tammy was born, raised and still lives in Youngstown, Ohio. Tammy's African-American. She grew up during a time when Youngstown was a steel town and it was
Edin and Shaefer,whom are both college professors trace the history of welfare in the United States up to the changes made by President Clinton. The United States our country is well known as the land of the free and home of the brave and in turn opens up its border to accept people who seek refuge here, these people range from individuals who hail from from war torn countries, victims of elder abuse, children of poverty and people who have been persecuted in their homelands. Sometimes, people come here on tourist visas and overstay that because they desire to be a part of our country. Most Republican Politicians argue that we should find ways to include people who have contributed to the American Society and change the laws towards citizenship, rather than contradict their contributions to our country. In $2.00 a Day Edin and Shaefer talked about Jennifer Hernandez who had two children and frequently moved from one homeless shelter to another in Chicago. In the first two and a half months she spent at the shelters, she applied for more than 100 jobs before landing one with a custodial company that cleaned foreclosed houses, many of which had been broken into and trashed by squatters and junkies. While working in filthy, unheated rooms during a Chicago winter, she kept coming down with respiratory problems and viral infections that she took home to her children. She started missing work because she was sick, her hours got cut back and she was left with no option but look for another job. She even had to registered for welfare benefits which she got, when broke she would sell her ‘SNAP’ which is a felonious offense in America but she did so because she felt she needed money with her at times than food. The book also talked about Paul Heckewelder from Cleveland who had lost his house and every bit of his life savings when