Additional Info:
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, he created an experimental school teaching art, logic, philosophy, and poetry to poor people. Shorris hoped that, by studying the humanities, his students would learn to reflect and negotiate rather than simply react -- and would use this knowledge to break the cycle of poverty on their own. The results of his experiment proved nothing short of astonishing.

Here is the full story -- a completely revised and expanded edition of Shorris's New American Blues -- of the landmark endeavor that has spawned nearly two dozen programs in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and that has been lauded from town meetings in the Yukon to the front page of the New York Times. Included in this book are reading lists and detailed information on the organization, staffing, and teaching methods used in the course. (From the Publisher)

Table Of Content:
Intentions

ch. 1 Richer Than Rockefeller
ch. 2 A Game of Poverty: Definitions
ch. 3 Born for Each Other
ch. 4 The Golden Age of Poverty
ch. 5 The Surround of Force
ch. 6 The Mirror of Force
ch. 7 The Fallacy of Work
ch. 8 Citizenship by Exclusion
ch. 9 Across Cultures
ch. 10 Political Inventions
ch. 11 A Prison Epiphany
ch. 12 adical Humanism
ch. 13 The Clemente Experiment Begins
ch. 14 The Bard Course
ch. 15 The Curriculum
ch. 16 Variations and Self-Criticism
ch. 17 Other Countries, Other Cultures
ch. 18 Conclusion: A Dangerous Corollary

Appendix
Index