Summary Of Poverty And Profit In The American City By Matthew Desmond

Matthew Desmond, in his book Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City, writes about the destitution that the American society is facing with astounding specificity yet without any judgement or voyeurism. Several themes health issues can be inferred either directly or indirectly from the book. These are listed below

1. Despair

According to Desmond, being evicted forces families to seek shelter on the streets, or even being forced to move into dilapidated and uninhibited houses. This invites depression, health issues, and despair as it leaves the families without any option but to move into demeaning housing in otherwise unsafe neighborhoods. This despair is cleared shown by Arleen, who tries to raise her two sons Jafaris and Joris in innumerable and endless evictions, when she narrates that she sometimes find her herself “ trembling and shaking” and her body tries to shut down.

2. Children Mental Development

Secondly, according to the author, constant evictions harm the proper mental development of the affected children. For instance, Mikey, son to Patrice, never finds enough time to handle his homework amid the countless ejections they face per month.

3. Anxiety and Depression

This book immerses the reader into the lives and struggles of individuals and families in Milwaukee during the 2008/2009 economic crisis, where many people lost their homes leading to increased cases of suicides and depression. When a person who lives in extreme poverty and depends on food stamps is evicted, he or she faces innumerable challenges that may include falling into deep depression. The author’s own parents were also the victims of eviction, and he helped them move out. As such, he spent several months living among the evicted families, and this made him understand the challenges that those families went through in shelters and poor