Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City in Words Between Worlds

Dec 04, 2019 Never Without a Book rated it it was amazing

This book drained me emotionally. (Sigh) Our struggle never ends. Like this stuff shouldn鈥檛 shock me but, damn! Ugh! I completed this via audiobook and the narrator did an amazing job. His voice captured my attention and I couldn鈥檛 stop listening.

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Sep 07, 2017 Amy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: non-fiction, read-in-2017, _own-ebook, _own-home-library, from-publisher

I鈥檝e been meaning to read this one for a while but it just never made it to the top of the pile. It鈥檚 won a ton of awards, including the Pulitzer Prize! I鈥檓 so glad that I finally picked it up - it really lived up to the praise I鈥檝e been hearing. I did not want to put this down. It鈥檚 compelling and devastating at the same time. This book tells the story of poverty in America in such a refreshing and real way. It reads like a novel, not a nonfiction book. The book follows 8 families in Milwaukee I鈥檝e been meaning to read this one for a while but it just never made it to the top of the pile. It鈥檚 won a ton of awards, including the Pulitzer Prize! I鈥檓 so glad that I finally picked it up - it really lived up to the praise I鈥檝e been hearing. I did not want to put this down. It鈥檚 compelling and devastating at the same time. This book tells the story of poverty in America in such a refreshing and real way. It reads like a novel, not a nonfiction book. The book follows 8 families in Milwaukee as they try to live their lives and provide for their families. It鈥檚 heartbreaking in so many ways. We all think that we know what life is like for the poor but this book really puts you in their shoes in a way that opens your eyes to things you鈥檝e never thought of before.

All of the people in this book want to do better but institutional forces make it so difficult for the poor. They spend the vast majority of their money on rent and have inevitably fallen behind. They can barely feed their children but are paying almost all of their money for a home that is often in terrible shape 鈥� no water, plumbing not working, the house covered in lead paint, etc. If they ask for things to be fixed, they are likely to be evicted. It鈥檚 brutal. It鈥檚 heartbreaking. It鈥檚 infuriating. We have got to do better! How can we expect people who are struggling with such basics as a roof over their head or food on the table to pull themselves up by their bootstraps and pull their family out of poverty? We do everything we can to make it close to impossible and then blame them for the situation that they find themselves in. I thought that I knew about poverty, housing and evictions after my years as a social worker but WOW 鈥� I learned so much from this book.

It鈥檚 changed the way that I view the world. It has changed the way that I view so much 鈥� poverty, education, human services, food stamps, and so much more. The segregation and discrimination that these families face every single day would be devastating to anyone. And yet they keep going, doing everything they can to make it in a world that seems to push them down every time they make it up a little bit. This book should be required reading. Everyone should better understand the housing crisis in the US and how our government is not providing the support that is necessary for millions of people in America. I hope this book scares all of us enough to DO SOMETHING about this. To demand that our government do something about this!

This is a horrifying and stunning book that I just cannot recommend more highly. Just a few of the things you鈥檒l learn about by reading this include -

1. How easy it is to evict a tenant

2. How most (90%+) of the poor鈥檚 money goes to rent whereas it鈥檚 recommended for people to only spend 30% of their income on housing.

3. Imagine trying to go to school and learn when you鈥檙e just worried about where you鈥檒l sleep and if you鈥檒l have food on the table.

4. Landlords prefer to not rent to families or a parent with children, adding additional burden on poor single mothers.

I could list 400 nuggets that you鈥檒l read about in this book. I really hope you鈥檒l pick this one up. It鈥檚 a must read! I鈥檒l leave you with one more thought from the book 鈥�

鈥淲hatever our way out of this mess, one thing is certain. This degree of inequality, this withdrawal of opportunity, this cold denial of basic needs, this endorsement of pointless suffering 鈥� by no American value is this situation justified.鈥�

NOTE: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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Jan 03, 2019 Charlotte rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-in-2019, non-fiction-read, social-justice-read

This is a thorough investigative journalism look at the complexities of poverty and how it connects to housing specifically. It shows a lot of problematic regulations and laws surrounding the housing market that could be used to fight for change in the future towards more equality in this field. The author has lived and connected with the 8 people/families he describes in this book. Even though this book cites a lot of statistics, it feels very personal for a non-fiction book since it follows th ...more

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May 22, 2016 Rachel Rooney rated it really liked it

Shelves: nonfiction, highly-recommended, audiobook, 2016

I listened to this on audio. I like listening to nonfiction on audio, but it does make it harder to really engage with the text. I was fascinated by Desmond's ethnographic research into eviction in Milwaukee. He lived for several months in a trailer park on the city's mostly white south side, then spent several months in a rooming house on the city's most black north side. For the most part the book focuses on a handful of residents, although he does swing his lens wider periodically to comment ...more

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Aug 06, 2017 Olivia rated it it was amazing

Desmond has set a new standard for reporting on social issues. This is a staggering and complex work that follows numerous families as they face eviction, a largely undiscussed force that is actively destabilizing America's lower and middle classes. 'Evicted' is packed with research and firsthand reporting (do not skip the final 20 pages titled "About this Project" - I gained an unmatched appreciation for Desmond's life and work after reading about his background and the journey of deciding to w ...more

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