Welcome to Litsy!

A look at the systemic ways that America and American institutions have not just failed poor people, but created the conditions to sustain their poverty.

Oh, Litsy, life's been busy. I'm trying to get back into the rhythm of reading and reviewing. And trying not to be hard on myself for reading significantly less at the start of this year. :/
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½ for Poverty, by America. I wish I had read a physical copy instead of the audiobook, but the narrator was excellent. Highly recommend reading this to gain some perspective on poverty and the systems that both create and maintain it here in the US.

This book was an eye opener for me. What sweeps across the ocean to me is expensive food stamps, Medicaid and public housing is. This is the first book that lets me know that the middle and upper classes in the US is also getting money from the government in the form of tax reduction on loans, subsidized interest rents on college saving founds and subsidized health insurance from their employers.

WOW 😯

I‘m not American, so I‘m getting a lot of hard facts I didn‘t know from this book

WHAT!?!?

I had no idea

WHAT???? I had no idea? Does every country in the world is or just the US?

Finished this book while making dinner last night ( Sweet Potato Chilli from Jamie Oliver‘s latest cookbook 5 Ingredients Mediterranean) the powers that be should give a listen ( canada 🇨🇦 too) we really need to do better, everyone should feel like they have a stable life and all children deserve better

Lots of errands and now bag 5 of Family Reunion Celebration while listening ( I‘m loving the green roof shingles)

Next up on audio ( very depressing but not surprising ) and bag #4

This book is so galvanizing. I finally finished it and hope everyone will read it.

“Poverty isn‘t simply the condition of not having enough money. It‘s the condition of not having enough choice and being taken advantage of because of that.”

First book off my #AuldLangSpine list from Christine. How America keeps the poor, poor and ideas to turn it around. Will it be easy? No, change never is. But I believe in a system where lifting up everyone benefits all. Next up from my list is Finding Me. It is already riveting. #52Bookclub24 #NonFicRecommendedbyFriend. Recommending to all my fellow US citizens

@monalyisha

This book analyzes the root causes of poverty and income inequality in the US while also serving as a call to action by a sociologist who has both personally experienced poverty and spent his life talking with people caught in its grasp. An important reminder that poverty is the direct result of policy choices; we choose to subsidize home ownership and wealth accumulation, just as we choose to permit a system that repeatedly penalizes poverty.

Very good so far. #sociology

#12Booksof2023 ⭐️ Favorite Audiobooks ⭐️

#12booksof2023 April @Andrew65

This direct and accessible study of American™️ brand poverty presents a clear, comprehensive, and compassionate dissection of the structural forces at work against the poor and for the rich. I really appreciated how powerfully and pragmatically Desmond destigmatizes poverty and that he provides policies that could bring about lasting change as well as ways to vote with your dollars for greater economic equality.

Another happy book for the holiday season!😁Desmond‘s Evicted was a more impactful read , the case histories he covered help you really relate to the people documented, this is more of a manifesto. His points are well made about the demonizing of the poor, and while the middle class & rich get “breaks” to keep them where they are, the poor get few breaks , a plan to keep them down is part of the plan . Tax the rich like they did from 1940-1963 91%

1. It‘s the food Olympics over here IYKYK- I cook allll week 👩🏻‍🍳

2. Tagged I‘m not sure the average person realizes how many people in your neighborhood are going hungry to cut costs.

#TWO4TUESDAY

“In 2019, the largest banks in America charged customers $11.68 billion in overdraft fees.” 😲

This is an important overview of the current impact of poverty in America on the both the individual/family and societal levels. It covers an array of issues including workers‘ rights, predatory banking services, tax evasion, barriers to home ownership, and the benefits that can with social/community integration. I appreciate that the author includes some tangible policy recommendations. Would definitely recommend to American readers.

I loved this one but I also love Desmond‘s work. As a person that is interested in social policy & social justice the book all resonates & makes sense to me. America, generally, as a society that believes in meritocracy & doesn‘t want to examine why people remain in persistent poverty. I understand that things like institutional racism plays a large role in poverty. Some people may find discussions like this offensive or put them on the defense

Book 126 of the year.

Desmond‘s latest book gives a thoughtful and well-researched overview of poverty in America, it‘s causes, and suggestions for policy initiatives that help eliminate poverty. TRIGGER ALERT: If you are threatened by any suggestion that poverty is the result of institutional racism, governmental policy, or that poverty isn‘t brought on by people living in poverty, avoid this book. Approached with an open mind, you will gain insight into poverty.

A must read !!!!

Thanks @catiewithac for telling me to read it.

I have a feeling this book is only going to be read by people that already agree with Desmond, but I did appreciate the message.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I appreciate that not only does Desmond describe the issues surrounding poverty in the US, but he also makes various suggestions for how to fix/help it. I did enjoy his book Evicted more because of the personal stories he included. This book felt a little more dense - more like a textbook - to me.

This is somehow lighter than Desmond's Evicted. It is a book that is definitely targeted to people who are open to understanding poverty, and who know a bit about modern research. A friend and I read it and it seemed I got more out of it having known all of the references - from literature of Baldwin to Tommy Orange and researchers from Isabel Wilkerson to Tessie McMillan Cottom.
Overall a well thought-out and written book.

June‘s best nonfiction for me was Poverty, by America. But I think Just Mercy was just slightly better. For me. It takes best of the first half of 2023. #readingbracket #bestnonfiction

What a call to action! I listened to this book and will buy it in physical form also. He outlines direct actions we can take to be active in the elimination of poverty in America. So compelling. A must-read! 4 🌟

I really appreciate the author‘s ability to not just name the causes and effects of poverty and the forces that mold it and keep it in place, but also his suggestions of ways ordinary people can work to improve the balance.

This book is fantastic. Highly recommend.

I loved Desmond's 2016 book Evicted, and this one did not disappoint! 4.5⭐️

As was the case with Evicted, Desmond brings serious research and anecdotal evidence to the table. He asserts that eradicating poverty in our wealthy nation is possible, but not without considerable effort and commitment from our citizens and government. Sadly, his tone is such that no conservative will listen. I feel like this book is going to bolster progressive folks already wanting to see these changes but not appeal across the aisle.

“Some lives are so small so that others may grow.”

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.

+ eye opening

Read for library book discussion. I don‘t know how to rate this book. Maybe because I‘ve read a lot on the topic. Maybe because I‘m in a funk. If you read a lot on social policy, there‘s not a lot new here. I do think the title is polarizing in and of itself. If you‘re trying to get anyone on the opposite aisle to read it, choosing a title that would cause a book ban for lack of patriotism isn‘t a good choice. 🤷‍♀️

🫨

Not a feel good read, but an important one.

Read it. Read anything by Matt Desmond. Idk what we value in this country, but it‘s not humanity.
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Anyway, I love books so thoroughly that I read all the fine print. In this case that includes the information on the typeface, Dante, a “venerable” face.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ To better understand this country, read both this and Evicted. With Desmond‘s years of immersive research, and smooth narrative style, he thoroughly explains major socioeconomic and societal issues that keep the impoverished in a holding pattern. Recognizing that, in America, there are two housing markets and two labor markets is a much-needed perspective. This is a must-read; go audio. Dion Graham, please narrate my life!

Depressing and infuriating but important

I can safely choose my favorite book of April. However as much as I liked it, it couldn‘t compete with Foster. #readingbracket2023

^^ p89 unclaimed benefits, information gap, unwieldy process

84 “The idea is to protect one kind of dependency, that of the worker on the company, by debasing another, that of citizens on the state.”

101 “The biggest government subsidies are not directed at families trying to climb out of poverty, but instead go to ensure that well-off families stay well-off. […] If this is our design, our social contract, then we should at least own up to it.”

^^p 95 govt assistance to middle class/wealthy (529 college plans, mortgage interest & other tax breaks) less visible than SNAP & assistance programs for poor. “Those who benefit most from government largesse—generally white families with accountants—harbor the strongest antigovernment sentiments.”

108 “As our incomes have grown, we‘ve chosen to spend more on personal consumption and less on public works.”

112 “More for me. Less for we.”

Poverty rate in US has remained flat even as federal relief has surged. Why? Earmarked aid never reaches those in need, states carry funds over unspent or use on other projects. Worker exploitation, wage stagnation, high housing costs, excessive service fees, private opulence & public squalor, obsession with incarceration, weakened labor unions. Heavily footnoted & some good examples, still feels like the 10,000 ft view, somewhat unfocused. 2023

Playing catch up on #TemptingTitles. On Saturday I tested positive and was feeling pretty crappy but each day since has been better with just a bit of a cough remaining. I was most disappointed to have broken my streak of being well since 2019!

Powerful! Rage-inducing and rant-fueling. Why do Americans allow the government to be funded by private companies that persuade lawmakers to create loopholes for the rich to get richer and tax breaks for the wealthiest citizens?? Why do Americans then blame the “welfare state” for the overspending when the super rich are really the biggest beneficiaries of government spending?? Why? Why? Why??? Should be required reading.

Another must read by Matthew Desmond. While I didn‘t love this as much as Evicted i found this thought provoking and will be reading whatever he publishes going forward.

This is a great book- almost reads like a well researched manifesto concerning the structure of poverty in the US. Desmond presented excellent points of who benefits from poverty, how the wealthy receive more government help, and what should change. Excellent.