In 'Evicted', Matthew Desmond immerses readers in the harsh realities of housing instability in America. Following eight families in Milwaukee, he reveals how eviction is not just a symptom of poverty but a driving force that perpetuates it. Through vivid storytelling and rich social research, Desmond highlights the emotional and financial toll of losing a home. As we witness their struggles and resilience, the book challenges preconceived notions about poverty and housing. It's a powerful call to action that compels readers to reconsider the importance of stable housing in achieving social justice.
By Matthew Desmond
Published: 2017
""The experience of eviction is a brutal reminder that in America, housing is not a right. It’s a game where many play and few win, leaving those who can least afford to lose too often on the streets, fighting for survival in a system that treats them as disposable.""
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE • NAMED ONE OF TIME’S TEN BEST NONFICTION BOOKS OF THE DECADE • One of the most acclaimed books of our time, this modern classic “has set a new standard for reporting on poverty” (Barbara Ehrenreich, The New York Times Book Review). In Evicted, Princeton sociologist and MacArthur “Genius” Matthew Desmond follows eight families in Milwaukee as they each struggle to keep a roof over their heads. Hailed as “wrenching and revelatory” (The Nation), “vivid and unsettling” (New York Review of Books), Evicted transforms our understanding of poverty and economic exploitation while providing fresh ideas for solving one of twenty-first-century America’s most devastating problems. Its unforgettable scenes of hope and loss remind us of the centrality of home, without which nothing else is possible. NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY President Barack Obama • The New York Times Book Review • The Boston Globe • The Washington Post • NPR • Entertainment Weekly • The New Yorker • Bloomberg • Esquire • BuzzFeed • Fortune • San Francisco Chronicle • Milwaukee Journal Sentinel • St. Louis Post-Dispatch • Politico • The Week • Chicago Public Library • BookPage • Kirkus Reviews • Library Journal • Publishers Weekly • Booklist • Shelf Awareness WINNER OF: The National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction • The PEN/John Kenneth Galbraith Award for Nonfiction • The Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction • The Hillman Prize for Book Journalism • The PEN/New England Award • The Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize FINALIST FOR THE LOS ANGELES TIMES BOOK PRIZE AND THE KIRKUS PRIZE “Evicted stands among the very best of the social justice books.”—Ann Patchett, author of Bel Canto and Commonwealth “Gripping and moving—tragic, too.”—Jesmyn Ward, author of Salvage the Bones “Evicted is that rare work that has something genuinely new to say about poverty.”—San Francisco Chronicle
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“"The experience of eviction is a brutal reminder that in America, housing is not a right. It’s a game where many play and few win, leaving those who can least afford to lose too often on the streets, fighting for survival in a system that treats them as disposable."”
Evicted
By Matthew Desmond
Discover a world of knowledge through our extensive collection of book summaries.
Matthew Desmond is an acclaimed sociologist and author best known for his groundbreaking work on poverty and housing in America. He is a professor at Princeton University and a faculty associate at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University. Desmond's award-winning book, "Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City," received a Pulitzer Prize for its in-depth exploration of eviction and its impact on urban communities. Through his research, he highlights the systemic issues surrounding homelessness and affordable housing. Desmond is also the founder of the Eviction Lab, a project dedicated to providing data and research on eviction rates across the United States.
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