Hand to Mouth Living in Bootstrap America, by Linda Tirado, is a story about what it’s like to be a part of the working poor in America, in addition to truly experiencing the many levels of poverty. With an intriguing voice, Tirado discusses her journey from the lower-middle socioeconomic status, poverty struggles, and everything in between. Throughout the book,
Tirado reveals reasoning as to why poor people make the decisions they do.
Each person in America has a certain idea or assumption of what it means to be poor in
America. Linda Tirado, having experienced the difficult lifestyle, takes all the perceived perceptions of Americans and shatters them to pieces. Linda Tirado’s story begins with her introduction to poverty after she dropped