Unlikely Fame

"Has it gotten harder for Americans from poor backgrounds to become famous? In a new book, Unlikely Fame: Poor People Who Made History, historian David Wagner suggests fewer famous people come from poverty today than did in the past.
—Huffington Post

"David Wagner is a foremost scholar on issues of poverty, homelessness, and social welfare policy."
—Z Magazine

"Informed and informative, Unlikely Fame: Poor People Who Made History is a fascinating and informative read from beginning to end. It is a unique and seminal work that is truly extraordinary and highly recommended for personal reading lists, as well as school, community and academic library American Biography collections."
—Midwest Review

“A pioneering book on the influence of impoverished childhoods. . . . Wagner reveals that many people from seriously deprived backgrounds remained rebellious, often class conscious, and even more creative in their chosen work.”
—Stanley Aronowitz, CUNY Graduate Center

“With all the current talk about both our celebrity culture and the end of the American dream, David Wagner’s Unlikely Fame underscores the impact of poverty, especially childhood poverty, and the lifelong price paid by 27 famous Americans, mostly artists, athletes, and activists, from Theodore Dreiser, Jackson Pollock, Billie Holiday, Marilyn Monroe, and Richard Pryor to Babe Ruth, Malcolm X, and Fannie Lou Hamer, all of whom went from rags to riches but were heavily shaped by their poverty backgrounds. A must-read for both academic and popular audiences.”
—Robert Fisher, University of Connecticut

“David Wagner provides a fascinating look into the world of those who grow up in poverty and become famous. Unlikely Fame vividly documents the obstacles and struggles that such individuals must overcome. The book is engaging, well written, and a page turner.”
—Mark R. Rank, Herbert S. Hadley Professor of Social Welfare, Washington University in St. Louis