Most of us will never open our front door to a pale yellow eviction notice. Most of us dismiss vacant houses and run-down businesses as though they are invisible. Most of us can even guarantee that we will have enough food to last through the end of the week. Simply put, poverty is an epidemic most of us are sheltered from. In Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City, Matthew Desmond exposes how deeply profit is involved in the creation of poverty through an analysis of the effects of the 2008 recession and subsequent rupture of the housing bubble on Milwaukee’s low-income residents.
Desmond follows the stories of eight families living in Milwaukee’s poorest neighborhoods who are trapped in the jaws of the profit-hungry real estate market. Arleen and Doreen are black mothers relying on their minimum-wage jobs to support their families; Crystal and Trisha are young black women brought up in broken homes; Lamar is a black father and neighborhood favorite who lost both legs to frostbite while high on cocaine; Scott is a white nurse who lost his license after stealing opiates from patients; Larraine is a disabled white woman with a deep soul. Desmond also introduces readers to Sherenna, a landlord that owns a series of apartment buildings in the majority black North Side, and Tobin and Lenny, who together own the College Mobile Home Park in the majority white South Side. Together, these two sides work together to form a cohesive narrative on the tragic reality of the American housing market and showcase the effect of capitalism on low-income individuals.
This book is one of the best pieces of nonfiction writing I have ever read. Desmond perfectly integrates facts into the compelling narrative of these families. This allows the book to be extremely informative without being a difficult read. For example, on the issue of funding, Desmond states “Most federal housing subsidies benefit families with six-figure incomes…If poverty persists in America, it is not for lack of resources” (Desmond 312). For me, this was the factor that made this writing so personable and impactful. I was able to see both the raw stories from real people and the facts immediately following that explain how large the scope of the issue is. In addition, Desmond tells the stories throughout the book in a fiction-like style, which made the book incredibly compelling, especially for a nonfiction work.
Overall, I would highly recommend this book. It appeals to all audiences, although the material is best suited for older high school students and above.
Desmond follows the stories of eight families living in Milwaukee’s poorest neighborhoods who are trapped in the jaws of the profit-hungry real estate market. Arleen and Doreen are black mothers relying on their minimum-wage jobs to support their families; Crystal and Trisha are young black women brought up in broken homes; Lamar is a black father and neighborhood favorite who lost both legs to frostbite while high on cocaine; Scott is a white nurse who lost his license after stealing opiates from patients; Larraine is a disabled white woman with a deep soul. Desmond also introduces readers to Sherenna, a landlord that owns a series of apartment buildings in the majority black North Side, and Tobin and Lenny, who together own the College Mobile Home Park in the majority white South Side. Together, these two sides work together to form a cohesive narrative on the tragic reality of the American housing market and showcase the effect of capitalism on low-income individuals.
This book is one of the best pieces of nonfiction writing I have ever read. Desmond perfectly integrates facts into the compelling narrative of these families. This allows the book to be extremely informative without being a difficult read. For example, on the issue of funding, Desmond states “Most federal housing subsidies benefit families with six-figure incomes…If poverty persists in America, it is not for lack of resources” (Desmond 312). For me, this was the factor that made this writing so personable and impactful. I was able to see both the raw stories from real people and the facts immediately following that explain how large the scope of the issue is. In addition, Desmond tells the stories throughout the book in a fiction-like style, which made the book incredibly compelling, especially for a nonfiction work.
Overall, I would highly recommend this book. It appeals to all audiences, although the material is best suited for older high school students and above.