Mondays Need a Good Book: EVICTED

 

THE BLURB:
In this brilliant, heartbreaking book, Matthew Desmond takes us into the poorest neighborhoods of Milwaukee to tell the story of eight families on the edge.

Even in the most desolate areas of American cities, evictions used to be rare. But today, most poor renting families are spending more than half of their income on housing, and eviction has become ordinary, especially for single mothers. In vivid, intimate prose, Desmond provides a ground-level view of one of the most urgent issues facing America today. As we see families forced  into shelters, squalid apartments, or more dangerous neighborhoods, we bear witness to the human cost of America’s vast inequality—and to people’s determination and intelligence in the face of hardship.

Based on years of embedded fieldwork and painstakingly gathered data, this masterful book transforms our understanding of extreme poverty and economic exploitation while providing fresh ideas for solving a devastating, uniquely American problem. Its unforgettable scenes of hope and loss remind us of the centrality of home, without which nothing else is possible.

THE SCOOP:
This was the best-written, most thought-provoking, and beautifully annotated nonfiction book I've read in a long time (seriously, his footnotes are interesting). The narrative reads smoothly, and the author intersplices policy decisions and statistics in the chapters. I appreciated how he includes the land(slum)lord's point of view, as well.

A few things that shocked me--

1. I always thought people lived in inner city neighborhoods because they were cheap. No.
2. I had no idea what disincentives women have to report domestic abuse, as police showing up at rental units can tag them as nuisances and lead to evictions. What?
3. Having children makes renters four times as likely to be evicted?!
 
Mostly, I couldn't believe that I was reading about conditions in the United States of America in the twenty-first century. Shocking. Well-researched. Motivating. I hope this work has an impact on our policies--I thought the author made very sensible suggestions in his epilogue.

THE VERDICT:
Read it.