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  • Poverty, by America

  • Written by: Matthew Desmond
  • Narrated by: Dion Graham
  • Length: 5 hrs and 40 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (10 ratings)

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Poverty, by America

Written by: Matthew Desmond
Narrated by: Dion Graham
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Publisher's Summary

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Evicted reimagines the debate on poverty, making a “provocative and compelling” (NPR) argument about why it persists in America: because the rest of us benefit from it.

A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New Yorker, The New York Times Book Review, NPR, Oprah Daily, Time, The Star Tribune, Vulture, The Christian Science Monitor, Chicago Public Library, Esquire, California Review of Books, She Reads, Library Journal

“Urgent and accessible . . . Its moral force is a gut punch.”—The New Yorker

Longlisted for the Inc. Non-Obvious Book Award • Longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal

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.

©2023 Matthew Desmond (P)2023 Random House Audio

What the critics say

“A searing, essential book . . .[that] solidifies Desmond’s status as a remarkable chronicler of our times.”Vulture

“The passion, eloquence, and lively storytelling that made Evicted a Pulitzer Prize-winning bestseller are back in force as Desmond continues to speak on behalf of America’s most hard-pressed. Desmond is our national conscience.”Oprah Daily

“Desmond’s new book is short, smart, and thrilling. The thrill comes from the sheer boldness of Desmond’s argument and his carefully modulated but very real tone of outrage that underlies his words.”—Rolling Stone

What listeners say about Poverty, by America

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A Powerful Message

This book is a thorough and thoughtful analysis of how the richest nation on Earth can consistently fail at improving the lives of it's poorest citizens. I will definitely be listening to this one again. My one critique of this book is that there isn't a single mention of the plight of Native American communities, even while talking about colonialism. They continue to be an afterthought, almost non-existent, even in discussions about poverty.

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Preaching to the choir

This will have no effect. Just a deeply one sided evaluation of the issue. Another contribution to the demonization of capitalism. The very thing which made America as wealthy as it is. The reality is that poverty is naturally declining globally, and nobody is coordinating this. It is happening because of free market capitalism.

What people miss is that you can’t tax what income and profit isn’t generated. Make business in America unattractive and guess what, business will leave and you will be taxing 70% of zero.

Bottom line is that this book will only serve to cause the right to dig in their heels and will further push the left against freedom and capitalism. A moderate take that appeals to both sides would be much more effective.

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