This is a delightful book that addresses a very complex subject and offers a well-informed and analytic treatment. The work covers a lot of ground and does so with an easy flow of writing and clarity of thinking. The work makes a unique contribution in outlining the complex and nuanced nature of the “poor,” how this subject has been addressed, and what options are fruitful to explore in the coming decades. The work is well-informed and draws on reasoned interpretation and sound connection to the literature. This is not easily accomplished, but the authors have achieved this with a respect for the literature.

Jack Wayne Meek, University of La Verne

Poor Participation is a powerful call to action grounded in a clear-eyed analysis of what poverty means and does. Looking beyond the conventional focus on financial indigence, Bryer and Prysmakova-Rivera clarify the fundamental roots of poverty in societal power structures and relations of citizenship. Their arguments deserve to be widely considered and debated.

Joe Soss, Cowles Professor for the Study of Public Service, University of Minnesota

Bryer and Prysmakova-Rivera have written an impressively accessible and engaging volume that highlights the complexities surrounding participation in society by the poor. Drawing on a wide range of evocative data, from illustrative case studies to song lyrics and literary examples that span the globe, it investigates available participatory strategies and solutions to the war on poverty.

Victoria Foster, Edge Hill University