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A review by shannahtan
Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond
challenging
sad
medium-paced
I feel weird rating this book because it’s almost a memoir of these people’s lives.
Ethnography is so interesting because the person is actually trying to live this life in first person. Desmond mentioned he didn’t pay folks for interviews, which in part I understand that he maybe didn’t want to get a biased point of view. However, I feel like they should get paid for this book as he was telling their life stories. Although Desmond recognizes his privilege, he still got to leave the trailer park. He was never evicted. The people in the book are still living this life of eviction. All in all, the book is dense and is a very good window into the life of so many people in the United States. The last two chapters explain how a universal housing voucher has helped other countries combat houselessness. I tandem read this through audiobook and ebook.
Ethnography is so interesting because the person is actually trying to live this life in first person. Desmond mentioned he didn’t pay folks for interviews, which in part I understand that he maybe didn’t want to get a biased point of view. However, I feel like they should get paid for this book as he was telling their life stories. Although Desmond recognizes his privilege, he still got to leave the trailer park. He was never evicted. The people in the book are still living this life of eviction. All in all, the book is dense and is a very good window into the life of so many people in the United States. The last two chapters explain how a universal housing voucher has helped other countries combat houselessness. I tandem read this through audiobook and ebook.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Child abuse
Moderate: Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Toxic relationship, Violence, Domestic abuse, Addiction, and Alcoholism