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A review by lovelymisanthrope
Poverty, by America by Matthew Desmond
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
5.0
I read "Evicted" a few years ago, and loved the knowledge I took away from that book, so I was excited to pick up Matthew Desmond's latest book that explores American poverty.
"Poverty, by America" explores why poverty is so prevalent in America, and it presents suggestions about what could be done to amend these horrid situations. Through firsthand accounts of interacting with people below the poverty line, and thorough research on the topic of poverty, Matthew Desmond has created a book that is fraught with knowledge every American who has a heart should be seeking.
As someone who read and loved "Evicted" I was very happy to read some updated content on the housing crisis, especially in relation to what happened to housing because of COVID. It was disheartening to hear that things are no better off now, than they were when he wrote Evicted years ago. However, there was one inspiring story about a group of people in low-income housing that fought back against the system, won, and are making their homes a better place. That should be the American dream.
It is so upsetting to learn just how much of a business it has become to keep the rich rich and to keep the poor suffering. It could be so easy to do something to help those who are struggling, but it would mean the rich cannot cheat the system, and that does not bode well for the people in charge.
I was also shocked to learn, and completely heartbroken how deep racism still runs within low-income housing and poverty. We may have come a long way, but there is still so much more to do to become a country to be proud of.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking to learn more about poverty, and what it truly means to be poor in America.
"Poverty, by America" explores why poverty is so prevalent in America, and it presents suggestions about what could be done to amend these horrid situations. Through firsthand accounts of interacting with people below the poverty line, and thorough research on the topic of poverty, Matthew Desmond has created a book that is fraught with knowledge every American who has a heart should be seeking.
As someone who read and loved "Evicted" I was very happy to read some updated content on the housing crisis, especially in relation to what happened to housing because of COVID. It was disheartening to hear that things are no better off now, than they were when he wrote Evicted years ago. However, there was one inspiring story about a group of people in low-income housing that fought back against the system, won, and are making their homes a better place. That should be the American dream.
It is so upsetting to learn just how much of a business it has become to keep the rich rich and to keep the poor suffering. It could be so easy to do something to help those who are struggling, but it would mean the rich cannot cheat the system, and that does not bode well for the people in charge.
I was also shocked to learn, and completely heartbroken how deep racism still runs within low-income housing and poverty. We may have come a long way, but there is still so much more to do to become a country to be proud of.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking to learn more about poverty, and what it truly means to be poor in America.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism and Racism