The New York Times Book Review said that Peter Edelman adheres "to a high-minded worldview"—and he does not hesitate to emphasize that in the Preface to this new paperback edition of Searching for America's Heart by declaring, "I have one voice, but for my part, I will continue to speak what I believe to be the truth."
The truth is—from the time Edelman was a close aide to RFK, to when he resigned from the Clinton Administration in protest over the latter's welfare bill (which ended a sixty year federal commitment to poor children)—poverty continues to be a source of shame to the richest nation on earth. Fueled by a vision of economic justice he shared with Robert Kennedy, related here, he advocates an active federal government in correcting inequities in American life. Based partly on initiatives begun by Kennedy, he advocates government support for school reform and more community-based economic development initiatives.
Peter Edelman is one of those rare beings in public and political life: a man not only with a conscience, but also with a vision, and the eloquence to speak out for the poor—and the children in poverty—among us.
Table of Contents
Preface to the Paperback Edition
Introduction
1. Robert Kennedy: The Man Who Loved Children
2. Robert Kennedy's Legacy: The Inner City, Race, Jobs, and Welfare
3. From Kennedy to Clinton: The Two Americas Diverge Further
4. Enter Bill Clinton
5. Life After Welfare
6. Rekindling the Commitment: Politics and Poverty in the New Century
7. Breaking the Cycle: Children and Youth
8. Finding America's Heart
Index
Reviews
"Edelman chronicles the . . . dramatic fall of concern for the poor in this blend of policy history, autobiography, and call to political action . . . . Readers who have held on to their liberal convictions will find Edelman's take refreshing."—Publishers Weekly
"A moving and insightful look at poverty, attitudes and social programs in the United States [and] an inspiring portrait of a public servant who believes government can, and should, make a difference in people's lives."—Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"Part memoir and part manifesto, this is a beautifully written call to renew the fight against poverty."—Jonathan Kozol, author of Amazing Grace: The Lives of Children and the Conscience of a Nation
"Searching for America's Heart is the deeply felt account of one man's journey through presidential politics and power . . . illuminating."—Michael Beschloss, author of The Conquerors: Roosevelt, Truman, and the Destruction of Hitler's Germany
"I have read a lot of books on inequality, but none offers a more thoughtful vision of poverty and welfare in America than Searching for America's Heart. Engaging and well-written . . . compelling."—William Julius Wilson, author of When Work Disappears: The World of the New Urban Poor
"The book lives up to its title, will touch the hearts of its readers, even as it gets to the heart of what a rich and mighty nation still needs to do to realize its many possibilities."—Robert Coles, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of many books including The Political Life of Children
About the Author
Peter Edelman is a professor of law at the Georgetown University Law Center, and married to Marian Wright Edelman, president and founder of the Children's Defense Fund.
