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doods's review
5.0
This read was super interesting. Its highlighted some shifts I have already been trying to make in my everyday life and has really encouraged me to work harder at it. We cant keep dumping money into billion dollar corperations who only care to make money and not pay their fair share. These companys are stealing from us. Making them selves the one stop shop by killing the competition. Meanwhile taking the money we give them to lobby to make it harder to just exist. Scrounging up property and making our lives hell. We'll be in ruins and stressed about rising poverty rates and they will sell us the smile we used to be able to get for free.
kshane1298's review
4.0
"Poverty, by America" by Matthew Desmond
The book "Poverty, by America" by Matthew Desmond is a comprehensive exploration of poverty in the United States, delving into various themes, findings, and real-world implications. Here's a detailed summary of the key aspects covered in the book:
Main Themes and Topics Discussed:
• Exploitation of workers and consumer exploitation.
• The impact of affluent Americans on perpetuating poverty and maintaining a stark divide between the privileged and the impoverished.
• Consequences of poverty, impact of public services, and role of public policies, laws, and tax breaks in perpetuating poverty.
• The two-tier system in American society and the exploitation of the poor by the wealthy.
Key Findings and Insights:
• The rest of society benefits from poverty, knowingly and unknowingly, contributing to its persistence.
• Affluent Americans exploit the poor, driving down their wages while forcing them to overpay for housing and access to cash and credit.
• Government and social policies perpetuate poverty, while the wealthy retain their privileges at the expense of the poor.
• Desmond calls for a politics of collective belonging to usher in a new age of shared prosperity and true freedom.
• The book offers potential solutions for change, including empowering the poor through more unionization, new rules to make housing more affordable, and integrating neighborhoods by class.
• The need for a mass movement to demand the abolition of poverty in America.
Critical Reviews and Reception:
• The book has received critical acclaim, with praise for Desmond's policy proposals to eradicate poverty in America.
• Some critics compared it to Desmond's earlier book "Evicted," criticizing it for being drier and containing little original research.
• Positive reviews from The Washington Post, Los Angeles Review of Books, The Guardian, and The New Yorker, with some critics praising Desmond's scope but criticizing his proposed solutions for lacking a concrete plan to implement them.
• Some mixed reviews and criticisms focusing on the book reflecting rather than challenging neoliberal ideas of subjective choice and retaining a pro-capitalist vision of combating poverty.
Implications and Real-World Impact:
• Highlighting the role of public policies, laws, and tax breaks in perpetuating poverty and emphasizing the need to address systemic inequalities.
• Advocating for policy changes that prioritize the needs of the poor, empower them in the workplace and housing market, and reduce segregation.
• Calling for a shift in public attitudes and consumer behavior to create meaningful change in addressing poverty in America.
This book provides a thought-provoking analysis of poverty in the United States and offers potential solutions and policy implications to address this pressing societal issue, making it a valuable resource for those interested in social and economic justice.
AI summary
The book "Poverty, by America" by Matthew Desmond is a comprehensive exploration of poverty in the United States, delving into various themes, findings, and real-world implications. Here's a detailed summary of the key aspects covered in the book:
Main Themes and Topics Discussed:
• Exploitation of workers and consumer exploitation.
• The impact of affluent Americans on perpetuating poverty and maintaining a stark divide between the privileged and the impoverished.
• Consequences of poverty, impact of public services, and role of public policies, laws, and tax breaks in perpetuating poverty.
• The two-tier system in American society and the exploitation of the poor by the wealthy.
Key Findings and Insights:
• The rest of society benefits from poverty, knowingly and unknowingly, contributing to its persistence.
• Affluent Americans exploit the poor, driving down their wages while forcing them to overpay for housing and access to cash and credit.
• Government and social policies perpetuate poverty, while the wealthy retain their privileges at the expense of the poor.
• Desmond calls for a politics of collective belonging to usher in a new age of shared prosperity and true freedom.
• The book offers potential solutions for change, including empowering the poor through more unionization, new rules to make housing more affordable, and integrating neighborhoods by class.
• The need for a mass movement to demand the abolition of poverty in America.
Critical Reviews and Reception:
• The book has received critical acclaim, with praise for Desmond's policy proposals to eradicate poverty in America.
• Some critics compared it to Desmond's earlier book "Evicted," criticizing it for being drier and containing little original research.
• Positive reviews from The Washington Post, Los Angeles Review of Books, The Guardian, and The New Yorker, with some critics praising Desmond's scope but criticizing his proposed solutions for lacking a concrete plan to implement them.
• Some mixed reviews and criticisms focusing on the book reflecting rather than challenging neoliberal ideas of subjective choice and retaining a pro-capitalist vision of combating poverty.
Implications and Real-World Impact:
• Highlighting the role of public policies, laws, and tax breaks in perpetuating poverty and emphasizing the need to address systemic inequalities.
• Advocating for policy changes that prioritize the needs of the poor, empower them in the workplace and housing market, and reduce segregation.
• Calling for a shift in public attitudes and consumer behavior to create meaningful change in addressing poverty in America.
This book provides a thought-provoking analysis of poverty in the United States and offers potential solutions and policy implications to address this pressing societal issue, making it a valuable resource for those interested in social and economic justice.
AI summary
abbyhays's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
5.0
weird_hen's review
5.0
This book is far, far less gentle about the culpability of its audience than the last book of his I've read.
Desmond offers a strong, convincing paradigm shift about the role of the welfare in the US as subsidies for the middle class and up, not those who need it most. I was already vaguely aware that things like 529 college plans were part of that, but I had not realized the complete and true extent of it.
I listened to the audiobook version, but I think I will try and get ahold of the text as well. There are some facts and chapters I'd like to refer back to.
Desmond offers a strong, convincing paradigm shift about the role of the welfare in the US as subsidies for the middle class and up, not those who need it most. I was already vaguely aware that things like 529 college plans were part of that, but I had not realized the complete and true extent of it.
I listened to the audiobook version, but I think I will try and get ahold of the text as well. There are some facts and chapters I'd like to refer back to.