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mgmacavoy's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
txaggie2016's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
karnaconverse's review against another edition
Encourages readers to answer a single question: do we believe that the right to a decent
home is part of what it means to be an American?
Even though this award-winning book was published in 2016 and based on research conducted in 2008, Desmond's stories about the people he interviewed, accompanied around the neighborhood, and lived with reveal how much an individual's or family's survival depends on having a place they can call home. Within each individual's story, he deftly weaves in social issues of affordable and safe housing, addiction, mental illness, education and job preparedness, foster care, poverty, governmental benefits, and race. It quickly becomes obvious that one issue begets another and another and another.
The author's website turns the narrative into a call for action, with four study guides available for discussion and with opportunities to dig deeper. This question, from the faith-based guide emphasizes the local community: "There seems to be a connected community of people that benefit from evictions as well: the moving companies, the landlords, and the management company at the trailer park. Do they have any spiritual responsibility to the people in the neighborhoods where they work, or are they simply supporting their livelihood?" and this question--"What is the best way to address the affordable housing crisis: through government policies, market mechanisms, church initiatives, or something else?"--shows just how wide-ranging the conversation needs to be.
2024 Des Moines Library: series of discussions about poverty in Iowa
2024 Omaha Library Challenge: Read a book about social justice.
home is part of what it means to be an American?
Even though this award-winning book was published in 2016 and based on research conducted in 2008, Desmond's stories about the people he interviewed, accompanied around the neighborhood, and lived with reveal how much an individual's or family's survival depends on having a place they can call home. Within each individual's story, he deftly weaves in social issues of affordable and safe housing, addiction, mental illness, education and job preparedness, foster care, poverty, governmental benefits, and race. It quickly becomes obvious that one issue begets another and another and another.
The author's website turns the narrative into a call for action, with four study guides available for discussion and with opportunities to dig deeper. This question, from the faith-based guide emphasizes the local community: "There seems to be a connected community of people that benefit from evictions as well: the moving companies, the landlords, and the management company at the trailer park. Do they have any spiritual responsibility to the people in the neighborhoods where they work, or are they simply supporting their livelihood?" and this question--"What is the best way to address the affordable housing crisis: through government policies, market mechanisms, church initiatives, or something else?"--shows just how wide-ranging the conversation needs to be.
2024 Des Moines Library: series of discussions about poverty in Iowa
2024 Omaha Library Challenge: Read a book about social justice.
jesssicaweil's review against another edition
4.0
Read via audiobook. I may have gotten more out of it if I had read a print version (since there are so many names to keep track of), but ultimately am glad I read this even if I didn’t catch everything.
Bottom line is eviction results in the destabilization of communities and families and (obviously) does not help with job retention, and the laws currently in place in the US reinforce the cycle of poverty and often encourage eviction. Would recommend reading if you’d like to learn more in detail from the pov of the families living in poverty in Milwaukee.
Bottom line is eviction results in the destabilization of communities and families and (obviously) does not help with job retention, and the laws currently in place in the US reinforce the cycle of poverty and often encourage eviction. Would recommend reading if you’d like to learn more in detail from the pov of the families living in poverty in Milwaukee.
ndc97's review against another edition
4.0
This ethnography reveals the humanity of poverty that our society typically refuses to acknowledge. America has a poverty problem. As Desmond says in his conclusion, no American value, moral code, or holy teaching can defend how bad we’ve allowed this poverty problem to become. This book was so necessary.