Summary

In this work, the author describes his family history in Lithuania, his own life as an anti-Soviet dissident, his optimistic expectations of America, and the rather different reality that he was shocked to discover on arriving in the USA as a political exile. He draws on a wide range of sources to construct an account around the themes of poverty, crime, health, education, homelessness, the family, inequality and income, welfare and workfare, the media, violence and the judicial system.