David K. Shipler presents numerous views across the political spectrum regarding the causes of poverty in the United States in The Working Poor: Invisible in America. Shipler states in his introduction, “This book is about [the working poor], their families, their dreams, their personal failures, and the larger failures of their country” (Shipler 4). Although it presents multiple points of view, it tends to favor explanations of the causes of poverty espoused by those who adhere to left-wing ideology. Shipler states that the working poor are "beaten, bruised and defeated" and that "when an exception breaks this cycle of failure, it is called the realization of the American dream" (Shipler 5). The “American myth,” as Shipler calls it, is embraced by those on the right and denounced by those on the left. Although Shipler doesn't offer many solutions to poverty, he diagnoses the problem of poverty in a way that is consistent with how many on the left would also diagnose it. Shipler attempts to persuade the reader by privileging left-wing positions over right-wing positions and by approaching the issue of poverty by presupposing the problem of poverty from a left-wing perspective. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay One of the ways Shipler persuades the reader to agree with his position is by using appeals to pity in order to gain sympathy for illegal immigrants. or the working poor. At the beginning of almost every chapter, there is an anecdote about a migrant worker, a minimum wage earner, a single mother or something else. By presenting these stories before examining the problem of poverty in this particular chapter, Shipler allows the reader to see the "human side" of poverty. Americans who adhere to right-wing ideology generally have no sympathy for illegal immigrants. In fact, many on the right believe that illegal immigrants are not the victims of the United States, but the other way around. Shipler tells the story of Candalaria, a Mexican immigrant to the United States who struggles to meet the demands of her job in order to earn minimum wage. If she did not request it that day, she would have to pay back the difference to her boss (Shipler 78). Even though she started work at 7 a.m., her boss didn't let her clock in until 9 a.m. This anecdote allows the reader to connect with Candalaria and might convince the reader to feel sympathy. This sympathy tricks the reader into believing in passing legislation that helps migrant workers, which is a common belief in left-wing ideology. Ron Suskind, a writer for the New York Times, likens Shipler to a "monster at the county fair," whose cries for pity "exhaust the giant" that is the reader (Suskind, Can't Win For Losing). The language Shipler uses in the book strongly favors left-wing explanations of the causes of poverty over right-wing explanations. From the beginning of the book, Shipler places more blame on society than on the individual. Shipler's statement that the book focuses on "the personal failures of the working poor and the broader failures of their country" is one example (Shipler 4). While he recognizes that the individual plays a role in his own situation of poverty, he believes that the country has failed him even more. Shipler portrays the poor as a victim in society throughout the book. He compares tax preparers to predators who operate out of “shady check-cashing joints.