Reviews

Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond

jenmangler's review against another edition

4.0

This was a brutal read. There were times I didn't want to keep reading, because it was just so depressing, but the book is far too important to abandon because it made me feel horrible. So I kept reading. I'm glad I did. Desmond made me confront my prejudices and helped me to begin to understand a reality I have no experience with. I'm going to be thinking about this book for a long, long time.

ala2134's review against another edition

dark informative medium-paced

2.0

Very sad and bleak depiction of urban poverty. Reporting on a few individuals gave an in depth look at the challenges poor people face to stay housed. The author clearly was trying to show the injustices these people face at every turn. While there certainly are slumlords and other companies profiting off the indigent, I don’t necessarily agree with the author that eviction is the biggest scourge facing these communities. Instead, what I noticed in almost every story was that drugs seem to be a bigger problem. The one individual in this book who got out of the trailer park ultimately did so by getting clean and finding a stable job. The author didn’t spend much time connecting the dots there which is a shame. Definitely an interesting perspective, but I ultimately didn’t fully buy his final argument that housing vouchers would solve the problem. 

skimsdmb's review against another edition

5.0

Deeply engrossing storytelling followed by an epilogue of political recommendations that's almost impossible to refute after absorbing the details of the crisis.

hankatcol's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

5.0

theredgingerkid's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

emiliespalding's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective medium-paced

4.75

curatedsymposium's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative mysterious sad medium-paced

5.0

gowthamasokan's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

4.0

kamikatarian's review against another edition

Audio book on road trip—needed something a little more engaging to stay alert. This was interesting but long for a single focus. Maybe better to listen to while doing other work 

rileyg_coleman's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.5