Matthew Desmond Books

The strongest sociology often begins with a simple but radical choice: to get close enough to reality that statistics turn back into human lives. Matthew Desmond’s method in Evicted is central to the book’s power. Rather than relying only on surveys, court records, or policy reports, he moved into t...

From Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City

Poverty is often less a steady condition than a constant emergency, and Arleen’s story shows how exhausting that emergency can become. A single mother trying to care for her sons, Arleen lives in a world where one setback can unravel everything. She is not simply poor; she is precariously housed, wh...

From Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City

A society reveals its moral priorities by how it treats those who are least able to withstand market pressures. Lamar, a disabled man trying to maintain dignity and connection despite severe physical limitations, represents a population that is often overlooked in discussions of housing: the disable...

From Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City

One of the book’s most unsettling insights is that poverty can be profitable. Through figures like Sherrena and Quentin, Desmond examines the landlord’s perspective, not to excuse predatory practices but to show how the rental market rewards them. In distressed neighborhoods, landlords may purchase ...

From Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City

An eviction does not end at the front door; it ripples through schools, workplaces, neighborhoods, and entire family networks. Desmond demonstrates that eviction is not merely a private dispute between tenant and landlord. It is a community-wide shock that destabilizes local life. When families are ...

From Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City

Housing injustice is never only about money; it is also about who is seen as risky, expendable, or easy to remove. Desmond shows that eviction falls unevenly across lines of race and gender, with poor Black women facing especially high levels of displacement. This pattern is not accidental. It refle...

From Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City