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

4.0

This was a terribly sad an eye opening account of eight families teetering on the edge of homelessness. It exposes injustices and flaws in our system that kick the poor when they’re down, making it all but impossible for once-evicted families to secure and keep affordable housing, which in turn would give them at least a chance to provide stability for their kids and turn their lives around. It gives the reader a lot of tough questions to grapple with surrounding affordable housing, racial disparities, mental health, and our justice system. Where do we expect a poor, young, black mother with an eviction record (or 5) and criminal history to live? What if she also suffers from mental health problems and/or drug addiction? Too often, no wants them in their neighborhood, landlords won’t rent to them, employers won’t hire them, government aid doesn’t give them enough to survive, their family support is weak, and shelters don’t have enough beds for them. Many of these people seem to have ruined every chance they’ve been given, but others seem to have never had a chance at all. Their children are suffering, and the cycle of poverty continues.