Poverty, by America
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.
.
.
.
.
.
.
You Welcome
Post a Comment
0 Comments