From Harvard sociologist and MacArthur "Genius" Matthew Desmond, a landmark work of scholarship and reportage that will forever change the way we look at poverty in America
In this brilliant, heartbreaking book, Matthew Desmond takes us into the poorest neighborhoods of Milwaukee to tell the story of eight families on the edge. Arleen is a single mother trying to raise her two sons on the $20 a month she has left after paying for their rundown apartment. Scott is a gentle nurse consumed by a heroin addiction. Lamar, a man with no legs and a neighborhood full of boys to look after, tries to work his way out of debt. Vanetta participates in a botched stickup after her hours are cut. All are spending almost everything they have on rent, and all have fallen behind.
The fates of these families are in the hands of two landlords: Sherrena Tarver, a former schoolteacher turned inner-city entrepreneur, and Tobin Charney, who runs one of the worst trailer parks in Milwaukee. They loathe some of their tenants and are fond of others, but as Sherrena puts it, “Love don’t pay the bills.” She moves to evict Arleen and her boys a few days before Christmas.
Even in the most desolate areas of American cities, evictions used to be rare. But today, most poor renting families are spending more than half of their income on housing, and eviction has become ordinary, especially for single mothers. In vivid, intimate prose, Desmond provides a ground-level view of one of the most urgent issues facing America today. As we see families forced into shelters, squalid apartments, or more dangerous neighborhoods, we bear witness to the human cost of America’s vast inequality—and to people’s determination and intelligence in the face of hardship.
Based on years of embedded fieldwork and painstakingly gathered data, this masterful book transforms our understanding of extreme poverty and economic exploitation while providing fresh ideas for solving a devastating, uniquely American problem. Its unforgettable scenes of hope and loss remind us of the centrality of home, without which nothing else is possible.
Matthew Desmond is an American sociologist and urban ethnographer. He is currently the John L. Loeb Associate Professor of the Social Sciences at Harvard University and Co-Director of the Justice and Poverty Project. The author of several books, including the award-winning book, "On the Fireline," and "Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City," Desmond was awarded a Mac...
- 深入密尔沃基贫民区，记录八户家庭的真实生存困境。
- 揭示驱逐不仅是个人失败，更是系统性社会不公的结果。
- 剖析房租压力如何导致贫困循环，剥夺底层尊严与稳定。
- 关注美国社会问题、贫困研究及城市发展的读者。
- 对社会学田野调查方法、非虚构写作感兴趣的读者。
- 希望理解住房危机、租房权益及社会不平等的读者。
- 内容涉及贫困与暴力，情感沉重，请做好心理准备。
- 建议结合社会学视角，思考结构性因素而非仅归咎个人。
- 注意区分个体故事与宏观数据，理解田野调查的局限性。
- 文笔如小说般生动，但阅读体验因残酷现实而致郁。
- 深刻揭示了“因房致困”的恶性循环，令人震撼。
- 兼具学术深度与人文关怀，是理解美国贫困的佳作。
本导读基于书籍简介、目录、原文摘录、短评和书评生成，不等同于全文精读。
- "“警察的存在固然有其必要，但公共的安宁，包括人行道上的和平与街道上的秩序，能在城市里得到维系，靠的主要不是警力，而是人群间一股细微到几乎难以察觉的自控力与规范，这种内在控制力与规范是民众自发形成并且推行的。”简・雅各布斯（ Jane Jacobs）在《美国大城市的死与生》（7 The Death and Life of Great American Cities）中写道。简・雅各布斯认为这种健康且具有凝聚力的社区的形成有个前提，那就是得有人“有心”住在这里，要有人愿意看顾、守护这里。事实证明她说得没错：只要弱势的社区邻居间能相互信任，对社区的发展愿景产生共识，那这当中就能生成所谓的“集体效能”"
- "最让我感叹的是，马修能从“看到的东西里看到东西”。我们时常无视眼前的事物，又经常看见一些根本不存在的东西。之所以对眼前的事物熟视无睹，是因为我们觉得它们不符合自己的理论视角（比如阶级、性别、自我意识），因而显得琐碎而无“意义”。与此同时，我们拿自己的框架去诠释世界，生造出“意义”。"
- "拉瑞恩代表的这类人处于多重困境的夹击之下，你根本无法想象他们得上进或自制到何种程度，才有机会振作起来脱贫。仅仅是从在贫穷中挣扎度日进步到在贫穷中安稳度日，两者间的鸿沟就已经让在底层的他们望而却步；就算是锱铢必较地存钱，脱离贫穷的希望仍然渺茫。于是他们选择“放弃治疗”，选择在苟活中光鲜亮丽、在磨难中寻欢作乐——这些是他们生活的调味剂。他们会吸点小毒、喝点小酒、怡情小赌，看到电视会说买就买。视会说买就买。他们会把食物券往美食上砸，比方说拿去买龙虾。 拉瑞恩乱花钱，不是因为靠福利领的钱让她手头阔绰，而是因为那笔钱给她选择的余地不多。她付掉了龙虾晚餐的钱，接下来这个月就都得吃食物厨房的东西过活，有时候"
- "衣食无忧者被较高层次的需求控制。在他们眼中，这些需求オ是最重要的。”很多思想家和所谓的大师们都没有意识到这点一一他们想解释贫困社区的暴力问题，却从未设身处地地考虑，挣扎于匮乏和苦难的人身上，还会有多少的理智。"
- "穷人不是为了房子便宜才群聚到贫民窟里，穷人（特别是黑人穷人）会聚集在那里，是因为社会对种种不合理现象的放任与纵容。"
- "在世界上许多语言里，“家”的意涵不只是遮风挡雨，这个字还会让人联想起温暖、安全感与亲情——就像母亲的子宫一样。古希腊文里，“家”的象形文字常被用来替换“母亲”。中文的“家”有两层含义，是家人、也是房子。英文里的“Shelter”则由两个拉丁文组合而成：scield（屏障）与tuma（团队），合起来就是一家人共同聚集在保护伞的样子。 从古至今，家是生命的基础。家是分享美食的厅堂，是培养安静习惯的地方。 家人之间会在这里倾诉梦想，建立传统。"
- "Arleen’s children did not always have a home. They did not always have food. Arleen was not always able to offer them stability; stability cost too much. She was not always able to protect them from dangerous streets; those streets were her streets. Arleen sacrificed for her boys, fed them as best s"
- "不许那些比我穷的人拥有和我一样的房子。宁可让房子空着，也不能让别人便宜地住。业主当然不是坏人；然而，一旦必需品成为利润的源泉，对利润的追逐就难免沦为“要命”的肉搏。"
