This is one of those books that will both fascinate and frustrate its readers!
Desmond takes on the question "why is there still poverty in America?" and also what can we do about it. The short answer is that the federal government could afford to fully fund all of its anti-poverty initiatives if wealthy companies and individuals paid their fair share of taxes. Boom. Done.
But he also enlightens readers on many contributing factors that intersect with poverty: housing, education, wage stagnation, unions, reproductive health, and more.
There are quite a few statistics in this one, but they are never overwhelming. And there are so many references cited at the end, that the book is really only 60% of its stated length - making this a fast read.
If you are interested in current events, especially of the socio-political variety, this one is for you.

In his much-anticipated return to the bookshelves, Matthew Desmond uses a blend of American history, contemporary economics, and his own investigative reporting to present the bullet-proof case that poverty in America is not as much the result of laziness, addiction, or hard luck as we’re often made to believe. Instead, poverty in America is often created and maintained by those who benefit from it.

There is nothing suspenseful about this book - Desmond wastes no time addressing an urgent issue and harsh reality that has been side-stepped by its beneficiaries for centuries in America, Poverty. Reading this book will change the way you view the free market as Desmond points out predatory injustices that hide sometimes in political theater and other times in plain sight. It’s the type of book that will have you stopping every ten pages or so saying to whoever will listen, “Can I read you this one paragraph? You’re not gonna believe this…”.

Most conversations about wealth or poverty tend to end with some form of “well, this is America, and that's Capitalism”. Desmond challenges us to break down the connotation that comes with Capitalism - that it has to be this sort of Easter egg hunt where the older kids get to gobble up as many eggs as possible as fast as possible - little cousins be damned! Instead, Desmond lets us in on a secret - there are way more Easter eggs out there than we may realize…they are just hidden way too well or, in some cases, not put out for the hunt at all.

Thank you NetGalley for a preview of this book in exchange for my honest review. This was an eye opening and thought provoking read. Highly recommend as it is neither dry or long as these types of books tend to be. But Matthew Desmond is incredibly precise and relatable while being consistently relevant.
“ Tens of millions of Americans do not end up poor by a mistake of history or personal conduct. Poverty persists because some wish it and will it to.”

Matthew Desmond’s “Evicted” is one of the most impactful books I have ever read. I was very excited to read “Poverty, by America,” which was also impactful, but in a different way.
Instead of primarily using stories of people he knew and befriended to tell his story, Desmond has created an essay mostly filled with data and statistics on the breadth, causes of, and potential solutions for US poverty. I was especially interested in his discussion of poverty abolition and what we can all do to get involved. While this book didn’t have the same emotional impact on me as “Evicted,” I still recommend this book.

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc.

This is an incredibly powerful and informative book on the epidemic of poverty in America and the many, many causes of it. I read Matthew Desmond's incredible book Evicted years ago and appreciate this wider analysis on the issue of poverty. This is a must-read book for everyone in America to truly understand how pervasive the problem of poverty is today.

As an immigrant that has seen poverty in countries that struggle with political turmoil, entrenched corruption or lack of natural resources, it has always felt like poverty in the United States (calling it "America" is a discussion for another day), seems harder to pinpoint or understand. Why does a country that has stability and resources had such a big problem with inequality? It has always felt like poverty in the US is more about ignoring certain parts of the population, about setting up a structure that lets a large number of people fall through the cracks in order to benefit a few people greatly. This book explores a lot: mental illness, low wages (as compared to other industrialized countries), segregation, the credit system sinking already poor people further into poverty. It is a book that touches on a broad array of factors affecting a complex issue and it does well as a starting point for analysis and discussion.

A difficult read - both stylistically and in content. At times the text gets bogged down in statistics which, although important, became overwhelming. And the content definitely makes one pause and rethink one's own status and privilege. Clearly an important work with important content.

Poverty, by America reframes the conversation on poverty. While Desmond takes a different writing style from “Evicted”, it still manages to be a fantastic book. Each chapter is very straight forward and easy for anyone with or without previous knowledge to understand.
Thank you to Crown Publishing and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Being poor sucks, and poverty in America exists largely because others - including you and me - benefit. But great progress could be made in the fight against poverty, and it would cost less than you might think. If you want more details, you won't go wrong reading Matthew Desmond's latest book. It's a very good extended essay on poverty in America; however, if you want to feel (as opposed to learn about) what it's like to be poor in America you are better off with Desmond's masterpiece of narrative non-fiction, <i>Evicted</i>.

Thanks to Net Galley for providing an advance electronic copy of this title.

I really appreciated Desmond's approach to understanding poverty. His writing was straight-forward and not preachy. I could tell he did his research. A sobering but important read.

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book: I am a fan of Desmond, having read his powerful, award winning book "Evicted". "Poverty" is also powerful. Desmond clearly and powerfully describes the problem and the policies that have codified poverty and not addressed the ongoing issue. The book is carefully researched and compelling as Desmond spells out the scope of the issue and the misguided policy decisions that have created intractable poverty. While "Evicted" utilized stories of individuals impacted by housing insecurity, Desmond doesn't use personal stories to anchor this book and I missed them. Desmond suggests solutions to poverty, but these solutions did not have the power and scope of the portion of the book that showed how entrenched poverty was created in the US. Still, this is a minor quibble. This is a book that clearly documents how the US created poverty and has no current solutions. It's a call to action and a resource. It reads more like a text than "Evicted", and essentially it's a book that should be utilized in education and policy.

I love Matt Desmond's work and thought Evicted was terrific. But while Poverty was well written and full of interesting factoids, it didn't have the same narrative in-the-field feel to it, and i'm afraid i find it less memorable.

This is a thoughtful, no-frills primer on poverty in America and the ways in which existing policies and perspectives affect everyone, rich and poor and in between. Although Desmond refers to US examples and laws, the text is accessible and relevant to those of us who aren’t American.

Overall, I found myself relishing each page as a wealth of knowledge. There is so much that struck me and took me aback, which I suppose reflects my own privilege. Desmond outlines the scope of how poverty is subsidised and how exploitation of poor people benefits those who enjoy security and stability, and how these advantages are passed down through well-off families. Each chapter is well thought out and easy to understand, and I particularly liked that he didn’t include many case studies but presented the information in a straightforward manner (just my own preference). He also concludes with some calls to action and proposes an alternative way of life that could be within reach, in which more people are able to stay afloat to nobody’s detriment. I appreciated that Desmond doesn’t approach this topic in a patronising or academic tone, but rather presents the facts in a sobering way. I highly recommend this short but deeply enlightening book to everyone.


I received an ARC of this novel through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this review copy.
Wow.
Now, I am not surprised that this was amazing. Evicted was amazing. But I am just so impressed by how well done this was. Desmond laid out the issues clearly and cogently, patiently disproved arguments against his take on the problems, and then laid out exactly what we need to do to finally improve the problem. And in such a way that it made me want to make a sign and start marching and look up the Poor People's Campaign and get excited about addressing poverty. This was excellent; highly recommended.

Poverty, By America could not be a more timely book. People everywhere are asking why such a rich nation is so full of poverty, lack of housing, and despair. The common narrative is to blame "failed" individuals, but it isn't an honest answer to what's actually going on, just a convenient direction to point.

In very accessible language and explanations, Desmond updates our (often inherited) beliefs, dispels myths, and provides a road forward. He shows the reader that we don't have to stay in the current mess we're in, that there are steps to take if we have the courage to follow through and shed old habits that keep us locked in to how things are now. The picture of our current state is grim, but the future doesn't have to be.

This book deserves a wide audience. Highly recommended!

This book feels more like a treatise than a reported work; it's not bad, per se, but vastly different than Desmond's previous book, Evicted. There are a handful of first person stories but the book mostly relies on data, which made me feel less connected to it. It does a great job outlining the structural underpinning of poverty and why it's not a matter of simply creating more jobs or encouraging education and hard work. The suggestions are interesting although some are shortsighted -- moving people to communities with more resources likely means moving folks away from support networks and ethnic communities. Overall, it's an interesting and thought provoking read.