Riches for the Poor: The Clemente Course in the Humanities

Rich people learn the humanities; you didn't. . . . It is generally accepted in America that the liberal arts and humanities in particular belong to the elite. I think you're the elite. In this groundbreaking work, Shorris examines the nature of poverty in America today. Why are people poor, and why do they stay poor? Shorris argues that they lack politics, or the ability to participate fully in the public world; knowing only the immediacy and oppression of force, the poor remain trapped and isolated. To test his theory, Shorris creates an experimental school teaching the humanities to poor people, giving them the means to reflect and negotiate rather than react. The results are nothing short of astonishing. Originally published in hardcover under the title New American Blues.

Author: Earl Shorris
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Published: 09/01/2000
Pages: 288
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.70lbs
Size: 8.40h x 5.50w x 0.80d
ISBN: 9780393320664

Review Citation(s):
Reference and Research Bk News 02/01/2001 pg. 116

About the Author
Shorris, Earl: - Earl Shorris (1936-2012) was the author of many works of both fiction and non-fiction including Latinos, Under the Fifth Sun, In the Language of Kings, and Riches for the Poor. He was awarded a National Humanities Medal by President Clinton for his founding of the Clemente Course in the Humanities(R), Inc.