Examining the lives of single, working-class mothers in rural America, Margaret Nelson investigates the life of the still stigmatized single-mom. Nelson finds that most rely on low-paid jobs, welfare, inconsistent child support, and help from family and friends just to get by as they often don't have enough money to provide for themselves or their children. Nelson is most interested in how these women make do for themselves and their families, especially in the face of disappearing welfare and state aid programs as well as a society that still shames single and out-of-wedlock mothers. The book also explores the different challenges that mothers and their children face in small town America - a place greatly changed in the last 50 years as factory work has dried up and national chains like Walmart have moved in. As with the best ethnographies, the chapters are based largely on the biographical stories of these women and make for a fascinating read.