Summary of Hand to Mouth From Linda Tirado

Hand to Mouth
The Truth About Being Poor in a Wealthy World
From Linda Tirado
Summary and Analysis
Summary Station

Linda Tirado begins her introduction with her answer to a question she saw on an internet forum: Why do poor people do things that seem so self destructive? The answer she gave is a snapshot, a brief insight into the life of someone who is, and always has, living in poverty. It is blunt, concise, truthful and to the point, explaining to whoever asked the question “why 'the poor' make the choices they do.” What we can understand from this introduction is, more often than not, the poor do not have choices. Money brings you the ability to choose while lack of money takes most choices away.
For example, Tirado explains how the rich can choose to rest while she, (attending school, working two jobs, collecting children and husband, cleaning the house etc…) is only able to get three hours of sleep on some days. She also details how, when she was carrying her first child and receiving aid for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) she was living in a motel which only had a mini-fridge and microwave to provide all her dietary needs. With no viable choices available, Tirado had to eat peanut butter from the jar and frozen burritos due to the price being so low.