Abraham to leave the reader in such a state, it would be obvious that she feels little or no room for hope for reform of the system, and there would have been little reason for writing the book, aside from pointing out the hopeless suffering of the poor people she studied and lived with and came to care deeply for.
However, the author concludes with arguments about what must be done to change these dreadful circumstances. She can be compared, then, to Jackie and her efforts to secure health care for herself and her family. Both Jackie and Abraham are fighting against monumental odds. Certainly Abraham's account of the troubles of Jackie and her family is meant to draw the reader's sympathy and inspire him or her to become actively involved in the reform of the system.
In fact, however, the book runs the danger of discouraging the reader from thinking that anything can be done that will make much more than a dent in the system. The system is not on
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