Poverty, by America

"The Pulitzer Prize-winning, bestselling author of Evicted reimagines the debate on poverty, making a new and bracing argument about why it persists in America: because the rest of us benefit from it. The United States, the richest country on earth, has more poverty than any other advanced democracy. Why? Why does this land of plenty allow one in every eight of its children to go without basic necessities, permit scores of its citizens to live and die on the streets, and authorize its corporations to pay poverty wages? In this landmark book, acclaimed sociologist Matthew Desmond draws on history, research, and original reporting to show how affluent Americans knowingly and unknowingly keep poor people poor. Those of us who are financially secure exploit the poor, driving down their wages while forcing them to overpay for housing and access to cash and credit. We prioritize the subsidization of our wealth over the alleviation of poverty, designing a welfare state that gives the most to those who need the least. And we stockpile opportunity in exclusive communities, creating zones of concentrated riches alongside those of concentrated despair. Some lives are made small so that others may grow. Elegantly written and fiercely argued, this compassionate book gives us new ways of thinking about a morally urgent problem. It also helps us imagine solutions. Desmond builds a startlingly original and ambitious case for ending poverty. He calls on us all to become poverty abolitionists, engaged in a politics of collective belonging to usher in a new age of shared prosperity and, at last, true freedom"-- Provided by publisher.

REVIEWS & SUMMARIES

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

We can take action submitted by mgsobo on June 11, 2023, 10:50am TLDR: pp 159-160 has recommendations for individual consumer actions and for companies to market their anti poverty actions.
The epilogue, pp 183-189 points out starting points for collective action.
The rest of the book outlines the systems that have entrenched poverty and the fear of poverty as the defining characteristic of the United States.

Informative and a good resource submitted by majean on June 20, 2023, 10:57am This book is clear and easy to understand. Highly recommend for anyone who is even remotely unsure about why people insist on being poor.

Quick, compelling read submitted by cnaheedy on July 24, 2023, 2:20pm For such a weighty topic, the book reads quite quickly, and it makes a compelling case for the actions needed to begin eradicating poverty.

Good read submitted by akrieg15 on July 26, 2023, 7:07am This is a good read analyzes the problem and offers solutions that are within reach. Some criticize that this book does not go far enough, while true, it offers a doable blue print to alleviating poverty in America.

Poverty, by America submitted by leighsprauer on November 3, 2023, 8:22am Desmond’s thesis is this: the huge wealth gap in America, and the fact that so many people are in poverty, is the result of systems which benefit the wealthy at the expense of the poor. So it’s not enough to simply give more to the poor; we must dismantle and reassemble the social structures – labor, taxation, land use and zoning, the financial industry – with the intention to favor the poor, or at least give them a fighting chance.
First of all, I’m not an economist. Second, I don’t know. He makes good points, but I’m not entirely convinced. I think he’s arguing for a more democratic socialist system, a la Europe or Canada. But I don’t want to be European or Canadian, mainly because of the limited social mobility, for better and for worse. It’s much easier to fall into poverty in the U.S., for all the reasons that he’s given, but I think people also have a higher chance of improving their lot significantly. Maybe other people would prefer a less-high-stakes economy, but not me.
He also repeatedly conflates tax breaks for the rich with welfare for the poor. He argues that they’re the same thing, because they both improve the respective people’s bottom lines. I am not at all opposed to having fewer tax breaks for the rich, including myself, but I still think there’s a fundamental difference between taking less of what a person has earned and giving money to people who have not earned it. It’s a psychological difference, but an important one, and I don’t blame people for not wanting money that they’ve earned to be taken away, as a general principle. (Relatedly, he, and others, often mention wanting the rich to pay their ‘fair share,’ as though that were an agreed-upon, objective amount. Tax rates are whatever we set them to be, and as long as people are not cheating on their taxes, then they’re paying their ‘fair share’ according to our tax laws, regardless of whether we personally think those should be higher or lower.)
Desmond argues that there is plenty of wealth in America to provide a decent life for everyone, as long as it is not hoarded by the few. I think this is true, and of course it is awful that people are gaining wealth at the expense of the poor. But, at least in this book, I don’t think he’s done a good enough job of defending, or even thoroughly explaining, his solutions.