Publisher: Rose Dog Books
ISBN: 0-8059-9876-4
Type: soft cover
Pages: 293

William D. Andrews gives us a potpourri of stories and events, personal as well as non-personal, on the welfare system in America. Working as a postal agent he often runs into “struggling” individuals and families who claim to be on welfare but their material possessions leave questions in his mind as to just how much do these individuals and families need help from the government.
Through his short talks and daily interactions with these individuals he notices some things, which he shares with us. He sees the frustrations, hopelessness, injustice, racism, lack of ambition, and the political and system bondage that people who have chosen to depend on the government are under. Andrews touches on a hodge-podge of things such as: drugs and its negative effects, the immigrant population and how they have come over and used the system to advance themselves, organized crime, alcohol, living in a survival mode, family, child training, racial profiling, targeting of potential successful minorities, etc.
Andrews’ aim is to inspire us not to simply accept things as they are because that’s the way it has always been, but to question the system and its fairness or lack thereof. He encourages you to take hope and to realize that you can beat the system anytime to advance yourself. AFDC is based on true-life events with a fictional comedy twist. This is quite an eye opener. You will leave its last page being more informed about the workings of the welfare system in America.