What's So Bad About Being Poor?

Have you ever wondered what it's really like to grow up in the

shadows of poverty and mental illness? To navigate a childhood

where survival means understanding your parents' demons before

you understand yourself? In this powerful memoir, Deborah M.

Foster pulls back the curtain on a reality many prefer to ignore.

Growing up in Reagan-era America, Foster's childhood was a maze of

unstable housing, religious fundamentalism, and the constant threat

of family separation. As the eldest child of parents grappling with

severe mental illness - a father with schizoaffective disorder and a

mother with bipolar depression - she was forced to become an adult

long before her time. From Utah to Wisconsin to Canada and finally

Iowa, her family's journey through poverty reveals the devastating

gaps in America's social welfare system and mental health care.

Foster's unflinching account, backed by her firsthand experience and

academic understanding, exposes the harsh realities faced by

countless families trapped in similar circumstances. Her story

illuminates how systemic failures perpetuate cycles of poverty and

mental illness, while demonstrating the extraordinary resilience of the

human spirit.

'What's So Bad About Being Poor?' isn't just another memoir - it's a

wake-up call that challenges our assumptions about poverty, mental

illness, and the American Dream. This compelling narrative offers vital

insights for social workers, policy makers, and anyone seeking to

understand the complex realities of families in crisis.

Grab your copy of 'What's So Bad About Being Poor?' today and join

the crucial conversation about mental health, poverty, and social

justice in America.