Broke in America: Virtual Jewish Book Council Author Talk, Co-Hosted by Falmouth Jewish Congregation and the Falmouth Service Center

Thursday, December 16 at Noon on Zoom and broadcast live on FCTV Public Channel 13 

Join Joanne Goldblum and Colleen Shaddux for a free, virtual Jewish Book Council author talk about their book Broke in America: Seeing, Understanding and Ending U.S. Poverty. Goldblum and Shaddux demonstrate how, with key policy changes, we could eradicate poverty in this country within our lifetime and secure a brighter future for all. Kirkus Reviews called it “a down-to-earth overview of the causes and effects of poverty and possible remedies.”

Zoom information:

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Water. Food. Housing. The most basic and crucial needs for survival, yet 40 percent of people in the United States don't have the resources to get them. Join Joanne Goldblum and Colleen Shaddux for a free, virtual Jewish Book Council author talk about their book Broke in America: Seeing, Understanding and Ending U.S. Poverty. Goldblum and Shaddux demonstrate how, with key policy changes, we could eradicate poverty in this country within our lifetime and secure a brighter future for all.  Kirkus Reviews called it “a down-to-earth overview of the causes and effects of poverty and possible remedies.”

The event, hosted by Falmouth Jewish Congregation and the Falmouth Service Center, will take place virtually on Thursday, December 16 from Noon to 1:00 P.M. Members of the public can view the program on Zoom or on FCTV, which will carry it live on FCTV Public Channel 13 in Falmouth. Books are available from Eight Cousins Bookstore in Falmouth, which will donate 15% of sales until December 31 to the Service Center. The program will include an interview and Q & A (in which Zoom participants can participate).

Nearly 40 million people in the United States live below the poverty line—about $26,200 for a family of four. Low-income families and individuals are everywhere, including Cape Cod. In Broke in America, Joanne Samuel Goldblum and Colleen Shaddox offer an eye-opening and galvanizing look at life in poverty in this country: how circumstances and public policy conspire to keep people poor, and the concrete steps we can take to end poverty for good. In clear, accessible prose, the authors detail the ways the current system is broken and how it is failing so many. They also highlight outdated and ineffective policies that are causing or contributing to this unnecessary problem. Chapters feature action items readers can use to combat poverty—both nationwide and in our local communities, including the most effective public policies you can support and how to work hand-in-hand with representatives to affect change. So far, our attempted solutions have fallen short because they try to "fix" poor people rather than address the underlying problems. Fortunately, it's much easier to fix policy than people. Essential and timely, Broke in America offers a crucial road map for securing a brighter future.

Joanne Gold­blum MSW, serves as chief exec­u­tive offi­cer of Nation­al Dia­per Bank Net­work (NDBN) and founder of The Dia­per Bank of Con­necti­cut, for­mer­ly the New Haven Dia­per Bank. She serves on the board of direc­tors of FitHaven and Let There Be Light Inter­na­tion­al and Invis­i­ble Peo­ple. Her work has been rec­og­nized by NPR, The Nation, Good Morning America, The Huffington Post, Time, People and ABC World New Tonight,   among oth­ers. In 2007, Joanne was named a Robert Wood John­son Com­mu­ni­ty Health Leader. She served as a clin­i­cal fac­ul­ty mem­ber at Yale Child Study Fam­i­ly Sup­port Ser­vice from 1998 – 2005. Colleen Shaddox is a print and radio journalist and activist. Her publication credits include The New York Times, The Washington Post, National Public Radio, America, and many more. She left daily newspapers when an editor reprimanded her for “writing too many stories about poor people” and went to work in a soup kitchen. She has had one foot in journalism and one in non-profits ever since. In states throughout the country, Colleen has worked on winning campaigns to get kids out of adult prisons, to end juvenile life without parole and to limit shackling in juvenile courts. She is a frequently anthologized fiction writer. Her award-winning play, The Shakespeares, and other dramatic works have been performed around the country.