Poverty, by America
Matthew Desmond, the sociologist behind the Pulitzer Prize-winning Evicted, turns his attention to a harder question: why does the wealthiest nation on the planet still have so much poverty? His answer is uncomfortable. He shows how the well-off, often without noticing, draw advantage from low wages, tax breaks, and exclusionary housing that keep the poor in place. Part reporting and part argument, the book makes a moral case that ending poverty is within reach if the comfortable are willing to give something up.
What you might want to know about Poverty, by America
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
The Pulitzer-winning author of Evicted argues that poverty persists in the richest country on earth because so many people quietly benefit from it.
Yes. Both books are by sociologist Matthew Desmond. Evicted won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction, and Poverty, by America followed in 2023.
It blends both. Desmond uses research and reporting to build an argument, but writes for a general audience rather than for academics.
Poverty, by America was written by Matthew Desmond, published in 2023 by Crown.
Poverty, by America is 288 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, Poverty, by America takes most readers 4 to 6 hours to finish.
Poverty, by America is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.