Edin and Shaefer make visible a level of extreme destitution that remains invisible to most Americans. Were there any moments in the book that took you by surprise? If more Americans were aware of $2-a-day poverty, what do you think the consequences would be?

If you were to ask the families in this book how $2-a-day poverty could be eradicated, what do you think they would recommend? Would their recommendations align with what the authors suggest?

With the exception of the Conclusion, all the chapters in this book begin with a vignette from the life of a person living in $2-a-day poverty. What does this achieve?