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

4.0

As a forewarning, this book will leave you depressed and feeling hopeless. It is a thought-provoking and eye-opening examination of the consequences of housing inequality in America. Matthew Desmond is an ethnographer and sociologist who follows several different families in Milwaukee, Wisconsin as they struggle with eviction and simply trying to live. He does a fantastic job of presenting both sides of the issue—the tenants and the landlords’ perspectives. But it does get bogged down in the details and can be a bit dense to get through. Despite that, it’s an important and vital read. I especially loved the epilogue and the afterward where Desmond discusses his research methods and takes a critical look at the systemic issues that not only allow, but encourage, these cycles of poverty and discrimination.