A New History of Social Welfare

Phyllis Day's textbook makes a real scholarly contribution by centering the experiences of women, people of color, and the poor in a history of social welfare that usually foregrounds institutions and policymakers. The sweep from prehistoric communities to modern welfare reform is genuinely comprehensive, and the book is well-organized for classroom use. Worth noting upfront: this is a college-level academic textbook, not a children's book, despite its catalog placement here. The explicitly feminist-progressive analytical framework is stated openly rather than hidden, which is at least intellectually honest, but readers seeking neutral policy history or a faith-grounded perspective on welfare and justice will want to note the ideological lens. As a course text in social work programs, it serves its purpose; as general reading, know what you are picking up.