Welcome to the KPL Book Club Blogspot

Welcome to the internet home of the Kilbourn Public Library (KPL) Book Club. The KPL Book Club meets at the library once a month. A book is chosen for each month and then members of the book club meet the last Monday and Wednesday of every month for lively discussion and treats. While we can’t offer you treats via the internet, this KPL Reads blog was designed for those of you who would like to participate in the book club but don’t have time to join us at meetings. Each month KPL staff will post discussion topics and questions to get you “talking”. Join in the discussion by adding a post to the blog. Click on the word comments below the post you want to "talk" about and write your comment. Be sure to check back often to see feedback and comments.

Wednesday, October 26, 2016

The November book selection for the Kilbourn Public Library Book Discussion Group is Evicted:  Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond.  This is also the UW-Madison Go Big Read common book selection for 2016-2017.


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.  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.  It's unforgettable scenes of hope and loss remind us of the centrality of home, without which nothing else is possible.                            (From the publisher)


Throughout Evicted, we learn how eviction essentially traps poor people in a cycle of poverty, how it makes securing future housing more difficult, can lead to a loss of a job, and have other damaging effects on families.  Desmond argues that eviction is "a cause and not just a condition of poverty" (p. 299)..  What does he mean by this statement?  When you think of causes of poverty, what comes to mind? Why are the poor disproportionately impacted by eviction, while the middle class are not?


Desmond points out that landlords are often unwilling to rent to tenants with children;  "Children didn't shield families from eviction;  they exposed them to it" (p. 287).  How do children "expose" families to eviction?  What are the long-term consequences for children who don't have stable housing?


In Milwaukee, evictions spike in the summer and early fall and dip in November when the moratorium on winter utility disconnections begins.  When tenants are unable to pay both the rent and the utilities, how might they make a decision about which expense to pay first?  If you were forced to choose between paying rent or heat, which would you choose?


If you were unexpectedly evicted from your home, what would the fallout be?  How would this impact your education, employment, and relationships?  How might a sudden change like eviction affect your physical and mental well-being?


Why do you think there is so much research on public housing and other housing policies but very little research on the private rental market?  What solutions to the lack of affordable housing does Desmond propose?  Do you have other ideas for how this issue could be addressed in your community?


Let us know what you think of this unforgettable book.

No comments: