A review by nothingforpomegranted
Gentrification is Inevitable and Other Lies by Leslie Kern

informative fast-paced

4.0

A very well-written primer on gentrification, what it is and what it isn’t, specifically its relationship with colonialism and colonization. I was intrigued by the stories that Kern raised as examples of gentrification and thought that she framed the text well in conversation with other research. The implications based on race, gender, and sexuality were interesting and important, but I think the author fell too far into the trap of Gen-Z “intersectionality” and the bucket of identities. That true intersectionality influences the impacts of gentrification is undeniable, but the final chapters defining anti-gentrification within a series of other movements rubbed me the wrong way, especially as it excluded other factors and identities (immigrant status, religion, nationality, etc.) that also certainly have roles in neighborhoods, enclaves, and gentrification.