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annemariecunningham 's review for:
Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City
by Matthew Desmond
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
‘Evicted…’ was a good read about extreme poverty and one of its major challenges (housing and eviction) in America.
This book was far more engaging than most texts that discuss complex economic topics. Even with that, I listened to this via audiobook. I’d highly recommend listening because it’s quite lengthy and certain parts introduce academic terminology and advanced discourse. The narrator was good and audio kept me more engaged than I think reading it myself would have.
Desmond tells compelling stories of eight impoverished Milwaukee-area renters struggling with eviction for various reasons. He also introduces a couple landlords and gives us their points of view on renters and evictions. Desmond paints the evicted in a much more favorable light, but briefly dabbles in issues the landlords deal with.
While I enjoyed Desmond’s evaluation of the topic, he offers only one solution: Universal Housing Vouchers. Given that his book focused primarily on housing and evictions, Desmond neglects to address any of the myriad issues that contribute to and keep families in extreme poverty. Even he acknowledges that such a program may not work in every area of the US, but seems to insist that this solution would be the best option.
At the end of the book, Desmond explained that he actually lived with many of the families he profiles in this book. He also addressed some of the questions I had while hearing the stories of these families. The last chapter gave me way more insight into the “whys” and “hows” of the project than the rest of the book. I wish he started the book with that chapter, but it may have been a deliberate choice to leave that information until the end.
Overall, ‘Evicted…’ is a reader-friendly introduction to a complex topic. Though the solution it presents is problematic and wouldn’t address most of the issues contributing to extreme poverty in America, it’s an engaging read about the topic and I’d recommend it!
This book was far more engaging than most texts that discuss complex economic topics. Even with that, I listened to this via audiobook. I’d highly recommend listening because it’s quite lengthy and certain parts introduce academic terminology and advanced discourse. The narrator was good and audio kept me more engaged than I think reading it myself would have.
Desmond tells compelling stories of eight impoverished Milwaukee-area renters struggling with eviction for various reasons. He also introduces a couple landlords and gives us their points of view on renters and evictions. Desmond paints the evicted in a much more favorable light, but briefly dabbles in issues the landlords deal with.
While I enjoyed Desmond’s evaluation of the topic, he offers only one solution: Universal Housing Vouchers. Given that his book focused primarily on housing and evictions, Desmond neglects to address any of the myriad issues that contribute to and keep families in extreme poverty. Even he acknowledges that such a program may not work in every area of the US, but seems to insist that this solution would be the best option.
At the end of the book, Desmond explained that he actually lived with many of the families he profiles in this book. He also addressed some of the questions I had while hearing the stories of these families. The last chapter gave me way more insight into the “whys” and “hows” of the project than the rest of the book. I wish he started the book with that chapter, but it may have been a deliberate choice to leave that information until the end.
Overall, ‘Evicted…’ is a reader-friendly introduction to a complex topic. Though the solution it presents is problematic and wouldn’t address most of the issues contributing to extreme poverty in America, it’s an engaging read about the topic and I’d recommend it!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Classism
Minor: Addiction, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Mental illness, Violence, Medical content, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Alcohol