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A review by reydeam
Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond
5.0
“It is hard to argue that housing is not a fundamental human need. Decent, affordable housing should be a basic right for everybody in this country. The reason is simple: without stable shelter, everything else falls apart.”
Horrifying, disturbing, and profound. The complexities of poverty are far more reaching than I have ever thought; an eviction is just one aspect of life in poverty yet creates huge hardships, beyond the obvious, that deepen the poverty cycle that people find themselves stuck in.
Matthew Desmond did a superb job discussing statistics and facts while never losing sight of the humanity of those whose life stories he highlights within the book. His writing felt like a narrative that read easily and was never dull. It felt story-like. While it was a deep book, it was accessible and lent well for reading quickly.
Eviction is a must read book for all. The insights gained are ones we all should be aware of; they hold value.
Side note: Do not side-step reading the Epilogue and About This Project as they each add another layer and depth to the text. After reading these two sections, I came away feeling more impressed by the structure, writing, and context of Evicted.
I read the book, and also listened to the audiobook. The narrator, Dion Graham, did an awesome job. I usually steer away from non-fiction audiobooks because it’s hard to keep tabs on the facts presented. The audiobook was doable, and effective which is another testament to the author’s writing.
Horrifying, disturbing, and profound. The complexities of poverty are far more reaching than I have ever thought; an eviction is just one aspect of life in poverty yet creates huge hardships, beyond the obvious, that deepen the poverty cycle that people find themselves stuck in.
Matthew Desmond did a superb job discussing statistics and facts while never losing sight of the humanity of those whose life stories he highlights within the book. His writing felt like a narrative that read easily and was never dull. It felt story-like. While it was a deep book, it was accessible and lent well for reading quickly.
Eviction is a must read book for all. The insights gained are ones we all should be aware of; they hold value.
Side note: Do not side-step reading the Epilogue and About This Project as they each add another layer and depth to the text. After reading these two sections, I came away feeling more impressed by the structure, writing, and context of Evicted.
I read the book, and also listened to the audiobook. The narrator, Dion Graham, did an awesome job. I usually steer away from non-fiction audiobooks because it’s hard to keep tabs on the facts presented. The audiobook was doable, and effective which is another testament to the author’s writing.