Poverty, By America
by Matthew Desmond
read by Dion Graham
Books on Tape, 2023. 5 hours, 40 minutes.
Review written October 3, 2024, from a library eaudiobook.
Starred Review
First I have to apologize. I know that I grasp more details of an information-packed book like this one when I read it with my eyes instead of with my ears, because my memory is very visually oriented. But at the same time, I had this book checked out in print for months and didn’t get to it, but when I put it in my audiobook queue, it was no problem. So I’m glad I heard all that information, but I won’t be able to cite much of it in my review, since it’s not there in front of me to quote from.
This book is a study of the Why of poverty. And unfortunately, it shows the way we who are financially better off are complicit. We like buying things for lower prices, never mind if it means that workers are exploited. And then there are zoning laws that keep multi-family housing out of upscale neighborhoods because the current residents don’t want to mix with the poor.
There are many more things pointed out in this book. Did you know that when you look at tax breaks, the well-off get vastly more government assistance than those below the poverty line? Things like the Mortgage Interest Deduction give more benefit to those who purchase a large home, and nothing to those who can’t afford a mortgage. (I know that after my Dad gave me a down payment for my condo, my cost of housing went down, helped by that tax deduction. But I never ever could have saved up for the down payment, because I was only getting further in debt every year. All that changed after the gift from my Dad.)
Another aspect is that on its face, the Earned Income Credit helps the working poor. But you can also think of it as subsidizing employers who offer low wages. All told, there are many, many factors keeping the poor at a disadvantage, and this book explores many I’d never thought about before, along with some I had.
But he also challenges the reader to look at the ways you benefit from the exploitation of the poor, and see what you can do to mitigate that. Don’t buy from companies that exploit their workers, for example. Look into the zoning laws in your neighborhood, for another. Support laws and politicians (on both sides of the political spectrum) that seek to benefit the least of these.
I did jot down some quotations I liked from the last chapter, knowing I wouldn’t remember them any other way. He was talking about the opposite of using the “Scarcity Diversion” to keep from implementing programs to help reduce poverty. He said we have an “Economy of Abundance” and a “profusion of resources.” Why do we treat scarcity as a given? And here’s a quotation I especially liked:
Wealth means having enough to share.
So if you want a book that will open your eyes to many injustices, as well as challenging you to see how you can help, pick up this book. It will certainly make you think.
Find this review on Sonderbooks at: www.sonderbooks.com/Nonfiction/poverty_by_america.html
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Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.
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