(read as ebook)
I really enjoyed this book, even though it made me depressed and angry at times. "Evicted" is a non-fiction book that tells the story of several poor tenants and their landlords in the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. You get a sense of how difficult things are for the tenants as they struggle to get their landlords to make repairs, stave off eviction and to deal with the consequences of being evicted. The landlord's side of the story is also told, although it is hard to feel sympathy for them given how well off they are compared to their tenants.

Matthew Desmond doesn't editorialize the stories he is telling, but just communicates what happens. He does often provide wider context to the what the tenants or landlords are experiencing, citing studies or statistics. The author doesn't make himself part of the story, only revealing how he "got such good access" in an explanatory chapter at the end of the book which is very interesting.

"Evicted" made me better understand the horrible pressures that poverty puts on people. In this it is similar to "Scarcity" by Mullainanthan and Shafir. I would strongly recommend "Evicted" to anyone for both it's gripping stories and for all the knowledge it imparts.