In Poverty, by America, Desmond pushes back hard against the stereotype that poor people are lazy, maybe stupid, and could get out of their circumstances if they just tried harder. He delves into how much the poor have stacked against them, and how these circumstances help the ones who already have more than enough. This includes moneylending with usurious interest rates and fees, and substandard housing that still costs a majority of one's income.
The United States is the richest country on Earth, but it has more poverty than any other advanced democracy. We can try to blame it on immigrants, lack of spending, welfare fraud, and any number of other scapegoats. But Desmond argues that we can and should be doing more to help this disparity. (Desmond also shows that the poverty level has not been affected by different levels of immigration). There are people suffering right under our noses, and we are turning away. The work of some of these poor is what we rely on for our comfortable lives (deliveries, cheap products, food, etc.), and yet we do not concern ourselves with whether they make a living wage or not.
In addition, instead of using our laws to alleviate poverty, the laws are set up to help those who are already well off. For instance, people complain endlessly about wasting tax payer's dollars on "people who refuse to work", but we don't think twice about all the tax breaks that are designed to benefit the wealthy. These include the tax break on mortgage interest for homeowners, which is a great boon for the wealthy. And the more expensive a house you can afford, the more money you don't have to pay. At the same time, banks often won't even lend money to purchase small, cheaper homes in poorer neighborhoods. This forces people to spend more money on rent than a mortgage would have been, they can not build up equity, and do not enjoy a similar (although much smaller) tax break. (I also just bought a plug-in hybrid vehicle and received a tax break, which is only available to those who have the means to buy a brand new, electric car).
One issue that really struck me was when Desmond talked about housing. He said that after redlining became illegal--zoning slid right in there to take its spot. Now zoning keeps the price of single family homes high, while legally keeping many minorities and poor people out of the nicer neighborhoods. Children that grow up in the nicer neighborhoods--even though they are poor--fare better than children growing up in poor neighborhoods.
On the whole, I thought Poverty, by America was informative and eye-opening. It definitely made me think hard about my prejudices and privileges. However, I did think Evicted was more compelling and easier to read than Poverty, by America. Evicted focused a lot on specific people, which really personalized the issues. However, in Poverty, Desmond focuses more on facts and numbers than on people, which I sometimes found less powerful. However, I still recommend this book to anyone and everyone.
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