Poverty, by America
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- Create Date：2023-03-31 09:52:42
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Matthew Desmond
- ISBN：0241543223
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Summary
'Essential and instructive， hopeful and enraging' Ann Patchett
'Desmond is utterly convincing: we must all become poverty abolitionists' Emily Kenway
*A searing study of American poverty from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Evicted*
The United States is the richest country on earth， yet has more poverty than any other advanced democracy。 One in seven Americans live below the poverty line， a line which hasn't shifted over the last fifty years， despite the efforts of successive governments and extensive relief programs。 Why is there so much scarcity in this land of dollars？
In Poverty， by America， acclaimed sociologist Matthew Desmond examines the nature of American poverty today and the stories we tell ourselves about it。 Spanning racism， social isolation， mass incarceration， the housing crisis， domestic violence， crack and opioid epidemics， welfare cuts and more， Desmond argues that poverty does not result from a lack of resources or good policy ideas。 We already know how to eliminate it。 The hard part is getting more of us to care。
To do so， we need a new story。 As things stand， liberals explain poverty through insurmountable structural issues， whereas conservatives highlight personal failings and poor life choices。 Both analyses abdicate responsibility， and ignore the reality that the advantages of the rich only come at the expense of the poor。 It is time better-paid citizens put themselves back in the narrative， recognizing that the depth and expanse of poverty in any nation reflects our failure to look out for one another。 Poverty must ultimately be met by community: all this suffering and want is our doing， and we can undo it。
'Desmond is utterly convincing: we must all become poverty abolitionists' Emily Kenway
*A searing study of American poverty from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Evicted*
The United States is the richest country on earth， yet has more poverty than any other advanced democracy。 One in seven Americans live below the poverty line， a line which hasn't shifted over the last fifty years， despite the efforts of successive governments and extensive relief programs。 Why is there so much scarcity in this land of dollars？
In Poverty， by America， acclaimed sociologist Matthew Desmond examines the nature of American poverty today and the stories we tell ourselves about it。 Spanning racism， social isolation， mass incarceration， the housing crisis， domestic violence， crack and opioid epidemics， welfare cuts and more， Desmond argues that poverty does not result from a lack of resources or good policy ideas。 We already know how to eliminate it。 The hard part is getting more of us to care。
To do so， we need a new story。 As things stand， liberals explain poverty through insurmountable structural issues， whereas conservatives highlight personal failings and poor life choices。 Both analyses abdicate responsibility， and ignore the reality that the advantages of the rich only come at the expense of the poor。 It is time better-paid citizens put themselves back in the narrative， recognizing that the depth and expanse of poverty in any nation reflects our failure to look out for one another。 Poverty must ultimately be met by community: all this suffering and want is our doing， and we can undo it。
Reviews
Anne
，
It's good， readable。 I didn't find that it said very much that was new。 Didn't we already know that things like the mortgage interest deduction benefit the wealthy， that our communities are hopelessly segregated economically， that people like being able to buy as much as possible for as little as possible， that capital gains are undertaxed relative to ordinary income and that this benefits those of us who have assets with capital gains etc。 etc？ It's a fast reminder of these factors though and w It's good， readable。 I didn't find that it said very much that was new。 Didn't we already know that things like the mortgage interest deduction benefit the wealthy， that our communities are hopelessly segregated economically， that people like being able to buy as much as possible for as little as possible， that capital gains are undertaxed relative to ordinary income and that this benefits those of us who have assets with capital gains etc。 etc？ It's a fast reminder of these factors though and worth a read。 。。。more
Danielle
，
I wish this book was required reading by every citizen in America。The writing is beautiful， direct， well-researched， and clear。 The audio， read by the great Dion Graham， is so， so good。
Alesha
，
“We don’t need to outsmart this problem。 We need to out hate it”This is a quick read， but not an easy one。 There are extensive notes and index pages to dive in deep。 This book scratches the surface of so many issues in a very thoughtful way。 It makes you think - housing， scarcity of resources， the narratives we believe。 You can’t read this book and walk away without wanting to make changes。
Levi
，
This book was great。 Having read several books， articles， and studies about the topic I don't know that I was surprised by anything， but I appreciated how approachable this book was。 It bridges political divides， gets to the point， has a good flow， and has awesome actionable items。Things that stood out the most:1。 The book does a good job of calling out systems， but also （kindly） calling out the reader。 Too many times we think "Darn。。。poverty is terrible， everyone is so greedy， and government/so This book was great。 Having read several books， articles， and studies about the topic I don't know that I was surprised by anything， but I appreciated how approachable this book was。 It bridges political divides， gets to the point， has a good flow， and has awesome actionable items。Things that stood out the most:1。 The book does a good job of calling out systems， but also （kindly） calling out the reader。 Too many times we think "Darn。。。poverty is terrible， everyone is so greedy， and government/society is so useless" and at the right moments the book cuts in with "but remember - you're part of the problem too"。 2。 Reframing when you see someone in poverty from "Why did you make bad decisions？" to "Who is profiting from you being in this state？" was powerful。 。。。more
Nancy
，
As always Matthew Desmond really challenges you when you read his work。 There is so much wrong with our system。 He has a lot of suggestions for ways to work toward a solution， but it is pretty overwhelming。 I'm grateful he has written this and wish our legislators would read it and take it to heart。 Dion Graham is an outstanding narrator for this material。 I appreciate the strength of conviction that he conveys。 I will look for the print book in order to start a list on what I can do。 As always Matthew Desmond really challenges you when you read his work。 There is so much wrong with our system。 He has a lot of suggestions for ways to work toward a solution， but it is pretty overwhelming。 I'm grateful he has written this and wish our legislators would read it and take it to heart。 Dion Graham is an outstanding narrator for this material。 I appreciate the strength of conviction that he conveys。 I will look for the print book in order to start a list on what I can do。 。。。more
John
，
A powerful manifesto about how and why we tolerate so much poverty in our wealthy country。 I hate to say it， but it's an "important" book that everyone should read （it doesn't take long） and work into as many conversations as possible。 Unfortunately， as revealed already in some of the reviews， the book is not likely to convince anyone who is not already primed to make big and necessary changes in the way we do business （literally and figuratively） in this country。 There's lots of interesting stu A powerful manifesto about how and why we tolerate so much poverty in our wealthy country。 I hate to say it， but it's an "important" book that everyone should read （it doesn't take long） and work into as many conversations as possible。 Unfortunately， as revealed already in some of the reviews， the book is not likely to convince anyone who is not already primed to make big and necessary changes in the way we do business （literally and figuratively） in this country。 There's lots of interesting stuff in here （most of it statistical， and not， as in Evicted， personal）， but when you boil it down， it comes out: We should all be very progressive and very activist。 I happen to agree with that， but it's really a summary of a lot of contemporary political commentary。 It's certainly helpful， though， to have it summarized in compelling， convincing， and personal prose。 。。。more
Michael Richter
，
Nicely put together and articulated by Matthew Desmond。 The first part of the book recaps all the statistics he put out in his previous book， Evicted。 After that， we get into Desmond's analysis of poverty in America， and finally his persuasive arguments for how to end it。 I love his passion for this subject。 While I didn't think this book was as convincing as Evicted was， I think the reason for that is the topic of "poverty" is incredibly broad， and would need to be argued from dozens of angles Nicely put together and articulated by Matthew Desmond。 The first part of the book recaps all the statistics he put out in his previous book， Evicted。 After that， we get into Desmond's analysis of poverty in America， and finally his persuasive arguments for how to end it。 I love his passion for this subject。 While I didn't think this book was as convincing as Evicted was， I think the reason for that is the topic of "poverty" is incredibly broad， and would need to be argued from dozens of angles to be properly tackled。 This book does a good job of covering the surface area， but the analysis doesn't go as deep as it could。 Still， it's a good primer for anyone who wants to begin looking into this topic。 。。。more
Alex
，
4。5
Jan
，
A moving book presenting a sobering view of modern day USA。 I think the main theme is valid and the thesis of poverty on the rise despite overall GPD/productivity growth is strong。 However I felt that the data （as strong as it was） was cherry picked and the situation not evaluated objectively。 I didn't appreciate the dogmatic tone that "facts" were shared with or the emotional undercurrent of most proclamations。 The book finally lost me when it squarely blamed white middle class for current situ A moving book presenting a sobering view of modern day USA。 I think the main theme is valid and the thesis of poverty on the rise despite overall GPD/productivity growth is strong。 However I felt that the data （as strong as it was） was cherry picked and the situation not evaluated objectively。 I didn't appreciate the dogmatic tone that "facts" were shared with or the emotional undercurrent of most proclamations。 The book finally lost me when it squarely blamed white middle class for current situation。 It's where I stopped reading。This books had such promise， but for me it failed to deliver。 。。。more
Dayna
，
Given how the endnotes comprise more than half the book， it felt light on substance。 While I don't disagree with his points， the tone was proselytizing， i。e。 a turn-off。 Given how the endnotes comprise more than half the book， it felt light on substance。 While I don't disagree with his points， the tone was proselytizing， i。e。 a turn-off。 。。。more
Morgan Fulton
，
"Poverty is often material scarcity piled on chronic pain piled on incarceration piled on depression piled on addiction--on and on it goes。 Poverty isn't a line。 It's a tight knot of social maladies。 It is connected to every social problem we care about--crime， health， education， housing-- and its persistence in American life means that millions of families are denied safety and security and dignity in one of the richest nations in the history of the world。" "Poverty is often material scarcity piled on chronic pain piled on incarceration piled on depression piled on addiction--on and on it goes。 Poverty isn't a line。 It's a tight knot of social maladies。 It is connected to every social problem we care about--crime， health， education， housing-- and its persistence in American life means that millions of families are denied safety and security and dignity in one of the richest nations in the history of the world。" 。。。more
Tina Panik
，
Desmond’s research， experience， and emotional connection to this topic strongly support his proposal that we all become “poverty abolitionists”。 An excellent companion to Eviction， this is jam-packed with facts that demand we change our entire conversation—and action（s） on poverty。
LaShanda Chamberlain
，
This book was so well-researched & very thorough！！ Desmond debunks many of the false truths we’ve all heard as it relates to poverty & being poor in America。 Desmond’s work here is very timely！！ Covid-19 was a game changer for many Americans。 With the enhanced unemployment benefits received during COVID-19， we all heard complaints that people were “lazy” & didn't want to work。 In reality， many Americans were now in a position to demand better wages。 Going forward， Desmond’s work here offers many This book was so well-researched & very thorough！！ Desmond debunks many of the false truths we’ve all heard as it relates to poverty & being poor in America。 Desmond’s work here is very timely！！ Covid-19 was a game changer for many Americans。 With the enhanced unemployment benefits received during COVID-19， we all heard complaints that people were “lazy” & didn't want to work。 In reality， many Americans were now in a position to demand better wages。 Going forward， Desmond’s work here offers many common sense solutions to end poverty in America。 。。。more
Tyler Graham
，
A fantastic， concise， emotive overview on poverty in the United States， the complicity of capitalism and white supremacy in its maintenance， and possible steps forward。 Highly recommend this quick and impactful read。
Elisa R
，
Unbelievable book。 Listening to the audiobook is a must。 You can hear the author's passion。 Going to buy a hard copy to go back to revisit and highlight。 Unbelievable book。 Listening to the audiobook is a must。 You can hear the author's passion。 Going to buy a hard copy to go back to revisit and highlight。 。。。more
None Ofyourbusiness
，
Put down your mocha latte， turn off Netflix for the night and do yourself a favor and devour this book。 Pure gospel！
Kathy （Bermudaonion）
，
4。75 starsIn POVERTY， BY AMERICA， Matthew Desmond explains how the US， the richest country in the world， has more poverty than any other “advanced” democracy because it benefits the wealthy。 Most people think the government subsidizes the poor when， in fact， it’s the wealthy who benefit the most from government programs。 Desmond asserts that poverty can be eradicated and explains how the government can make it happen。 I found this disturbing and eye opening。 It’s made me think a lot about privil 4。75 starsIn POVERTY， BY AMERICA， Matthew Desmond explains how the US， the richest country in the world， has more poverty than any other “advanced” democracy because it benefits the wealthy。 Most people think the government subsidizes the poor when， in fact， it’s the wealthy who benefit the most from government programs。 Desmond asserts that poverty can be eradicated and explains how the government can make it happen。 I found this disturbing and eye opening。 It’s made me think a lot about privilege and luck and how much they can affect one’s life。 I shared details of this book so much I’m sure my friends and family were glad when I finished it。 I do think it would be a great book for book clubs to read because it would start a lot of great conversations。 If you care about social issues， this is a must read！ 。。。more
Kristine
，
This wasn’t really new information， and maybe I am a pessimist， but I don’t see any of Desmond’s suggestions actually coming to fruition。 It was a good read， but ultimately I feel defeated。
Dan Dundon
，
I must give Matthew Desmond credit。 He is a wonderful writer who amasses data into a convincing argument why America should launch another anti poverty movement。 But I fear he is largely preaching to the choir。 Those who are likely to read his book most likely are those who generally believe in his basic premise that America would be a much better place for everyone if we were able to make a commitment to reducing poverty。 He contends that the America of Lyndon Johnson’s day was just as divided I must give Matthew Desmond credit。 He is a wonderful writer who amasses data into a convincing argument why America should launch another anti poverty movement。 But I fear he is largely preaching to the choir。 Those who are likely to read his book most likely are those who generally believe in his basic premise that America would be a much better place for everyone if we were able to make a commitment to reducing poverty。 He contends that the America of Lyndon Johnson’s day was just as divided over civil rights as we are today and yet progress was made。 But that progress came at a great cost to the country in the form of riots， destruction and deaths。 This is what finally allowed Johnson， the consummate negotiator to achieve results in Congress by forcing compromise。 Are we in a similar position today？ I think not。 The very institutions of our democracy are under attack and seem unable to grapple with the most basic task such as paying for programs already approved by increasing the debt limit。When I listened to this audiobook I was inspired by his soaring rhetoric especially in the epilogue。 However I was once inspired by another talented writer by the name of Barack Obama。 He filled me with hope only to be disappointed and disillusioned when he was unable to turn his rhetoric into reality。Mr。 Desmond’s challenge is to get someone other than the choir to sing his song。 。。。more
Bonnieb
，
Desmond accomplishes what both Michael Harrington did in The Other America in the 1960s and Michael Lewis did with baseball success in Moneyball in the early oughts。 He has provided a new perspective， maybe paradigm-breaking， and language around poverty in America。 Desmond answers the WHY and WHAT DO WE Do ABOUT IT in a short 189 pp。 book complete with 70+ pages of citations。 The new perspective: The U。S。 is second only to France in the amount of $$ dedicated to welfare in America。 The problem i Desmond accomplishes what both Michael Harrington did in The Other America in the 1960s and Michael Lewis did with baseball success in Moneyball in the early oughts。 He has provided a new perspective， maybe paradigm-breaking， and language around poverty in America。 Desmond answers the WHY and WHAT DO WE Do ABOUT IT in a short 189 pp。 book complete with 70+ pages of citations。 The new perspective: The U。S。 is second only to France in the amount of $$ dedicated to welfare in America。 The problem is， he shows， is that much more of those dollars go to the affluent than to the poor。 Defining poverty as both lack of money AND “not having enough choice and being taken advantage of because of that”， D tells a vivid story of how those of us who are educated， who have jobs， own homes， and lucky actually receive huge amounts of public benefits that we never think of。 He then goes on to offer concrete steps to start ‘a crusade for the abolition of poverty’， beginning with low-hanging fruit of helping the many Americans eligible for various benefits to get those benefits。 A MUST-READ for all Americans。 。。。more
krystal-nikkol
，
This usually isn’t my type of book， no aliens or nukes， no apocalyptic wasteland to read through。 But this book does kind of take it there。 Not a this is the end type but rather a there could be a better beginning for so many type way。 I am angry， and emotionally drained and you should be too！
Robert Pond
，
Very readable and thoughtful analysis of the causes， effects and solutions to persistent poverty in America。
Cody
，
Overall I thought it was pretty well done， and I agree with The central tenets。 One thing I appreciate about him and think Desmond does really well is focus on the exploitative and extractive elements of poverty and affluence that a lot of other academic discourse really misses。 Poverty doesn’t happen in a vacuum - its not a one-sided experience。 There are real ways in which government and corporations very actively promote and passively perpetuate poverty to continue and compound。 One thing tha Overall I thought it was pretty well done， and I agree with The central tenets。 One thing I appreciate about him and think Desmond does really well is focus on the exploitative and extractive elements of poverty and affluence that a lot of other academic discourse really misses。 Poverty doesn’t happen in a vacuum - its not a one-sided experience。 There are real ways in which government and corporations very actively promote and passively perpetuate poverty to continue and compound。 One thing that annoyed me and is the reason for 4 instead of 5 stars is the way he talks about the safety net。 Especially in chapter 2， but even throughout the book， the way he paints the safety net and spending on poverty programs and its impact on poverty is disingenuous and even discordant with itself。 I also miss the personal stories and narrative in this one。 I think he could have incorporated that a lot more and made his points a lot more powerfully。 That was what made Evicted so powerful for me and i think basically everyone else， and I think its a loss that he didn’t use more of it in this one。 。。。more
Alisa
，
A book I wish everyone would read。 If you were anywhere near me when Matthew Desmond’s last book， Evicted， came out， you know that it impacted my thinking deeply。 This book does similar work， but it is more of a manifesto than a narrative。 The essential question of why America has so much poverty is answered both well and succinctly （it’s our policy & personal choices）。 A reminder that we must as consumers support businesses that pay a living wage， and support desegregation。
Amber
，
I wish I could give it 4。5 stars！ Really great arguments made。 It all makes a lot of sense and is well written。 I just missed the human stories from Evicted and would like more of that。
Samantha Scaggs
，
Poverty shouldn’t be a political issue。 Really enjoyed this book and there’s a lot to think on
Vance
，
Desmond provides some interesting insights about the poor and those in poverty in America。 However， he takes a turn which blames racism， elite， businesses， and too little government action for the outcomes that many face。 These conclusions are counter to the evidence of how much people’s lives have improved over time and how many who are in poverty have a tough time getting out because of big-government policies which create hurdles to long-term self-sufficiency。
Will
，
A must read for anyone seeking to understand the nature of poverty in the United States。 For people who are already well-read on the subject， this book may not offer many new perspectives。 But nonetheless， it is a useful reference to have。
Ivana
，
I wanted to cite so many paragraphs， but then I’d end up citing an entire book。 Metric after metric， we’re the worst developed country when it comes to keeping people in deep poverty and actively working- consciously or subconsciously- to keep them there。 It’s a brief and succinct book， and thankfully so， I could power a small city with this incandescent rage so I can’t imagine reading hundreds of pages about how greedy we are。
Scott Browne
，
A must read follow up to Evicted。
tpg0
，
As an AI language model， I do not have personal opinions or beliefs。 However， if you are looking for information about the book 'Poverty， by America'， there isn't a book with that exact title。 Perhaps you could provide more details about the book you are referring to？
tpg1
，
As an AI language model， I don't have personal opinions or emotions about books。 However， "Poverty in America" is a complex and multi-dimensional issue that has been widely discussed and analyzed by scholars， journalists， and activists。 If you could provide more details about the book you mentioned or a specific question about poverty in America， I would be happy to assist you。
tpg2
，
As an AI language model， I don't have personal opinions or beliefs。 However， if you're referring to "Poverty in America: A Handbook，" written by John Iceland， the book is a comprehensive analysis and examination of poverty in the United States。 It discusses the root causes， effects， and dynamics of the issue across various demographics and regions， and proposes solutions to address the problem。 The book is based on extensive research and data， making it a valuable resource for policymakers， scholars， and activists on the issue of poverty。
Tag
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Reference
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