The Other America

File:TheOtherAmerica.jpg

First edition
(publ. Macmillan Publishers)

The Other America, a book by Michael Harrington, (ISBN 0-684-82678-X) was an influential study of poverty in the United States, published in 1962 by Macmillan. A widely read review, "Our Invisible Poor," in The New Yorker by Dwight Macdonald brought the book to the attention of President John F. Kennedy. The Other America argued that up to 25% of the nation was living in poverty. Many (such as historian Maurice Isserman) believe that this book is responsible for President Lyndon B. Johnson's "War on Poverty." The Penguin Books paperback editions have sold over one million copies. The Boston Globe editorialized that Medicaid, Medicare, food stamps and expanded social security benefits were traceable to Harrington’s ideas. Harrington became the pre-eminent spokesman for democratic socialism in America.

Documentary film

The 1999 documentary film Michael Harrington and Today's Other America: Corporate Power and Inequality captured the essence of Harrington’s ideas through the use of archival footage and interviews with his colleagues and opponents. Over thirty interviews were filmed, including:

• John Kenneth Galbraith
• Gloria Steinem
• William F. Buckley
• Charles Murray
• as well as ordinary people who struggle to make a living, or are dependent on social services.

The documentary included a brief history of socialism in America, and raised questions concerning

• the merits and relevance of unions today
• the problems of migrant workers, farmers, and big business
• and the American health care system.

See also

• Two Americas
• Socialism for the rich and capitalism for the poor