Poverty by America by Matthew Desmond is an engaging book about poverty in America. The introduction includes Desmond’s experience growing up, experiencing poverty, and watching others go through poverty. What sticks out to me is his purpose, which is to define and successfully find a solution to poverty in America. This sticks out because my family is impoverished, and I see a bit of myself in the book.
Growing up, my mother had enough money to afford the things we needed, so I thought I had everything. As a kid, I lived in a nice, typical one-story house with 3 bedrooms. I lived on the corner of the street and had everything a kid could ask for: plenty of candy and toys. I would play outside during the hot summers, but as I got older, I became aware that my mom, who was a single mother, struggled with buying us the things we needed, like clothes, shoes, and games. She had a job, but the job wasn't enough for everything. She struggled with getting my sister and me to school and work. One year, I had to live in a Star of Hope, a homeless shelter for families, as we could no longer afford to stay in the inn. The room there had a cold, smooth grey stone floor with the beds anchored to the wall like a prison. During this time of the year, it was cold, and for the first time, I got to witness snow. I went outside and smelled nothing because my nostrils were frozen. I saw sharp, smooth, clear icicles hanging from the high roof.
Desmond’s book explains exactly why situations like mine happen. He researches and defines why there is so much poverty in America and uses real-life examples from people living in poverty to develop a central definition. He tells stories like that of a working man who would work double shifts and take drugs like “cocaine mixed with benzodiazepine and morphine, sometimes heroin” just to stay awake. That man eventually had to give up two of his children just to support the youngest one. The saddest part is that he and his public defender “considered what had happened a real victory.”
After a few months at the shelter, my family got a two-bedroom apartment. I had to share a room with my little sister. We had twin beds, both against the walls with a big gap between us, and our TV was on the wall in between. We both had our sides of the room. I was on the left by the door. She had toys scattered across her side, and I had outgrown toys, so I mostly used the TV. One year, it snowed again during Christmas time, and this year, it had at least four inches of snow. My sister and I marched down the stairs and stepped into the soft, white snow. As we played, I was reminded of the larger struggles families face, struggles that Matthew Desmond lays out in his book.
Desmond highlights crime as one of the most important reasons for poverty being so high in America. He argues, “The United States doesn't just tuck its poor under overpasses and into mobile home parks far removed from central business districts; it disappears them into jails and prisons.” Poor people in jail work for “14¢ and $1.41 an hour,” even less than what they earn outside prison. These people aren’t counted in national poverty data, making the true number of those in poverty much higher. Even today, police can arrest a homeless person simply for being outside. Poor people are jailed for small issues, like missing a court date, which only adds more fines and deepens their poverty.
Another reason poverty continues is health. Poor people often work painful, exhausting jobs—cashiers, maids, meatpackers—earning little pay. Desmond talks about a friend who “stepped on a nail … ignored the injury because he could not afford to pay it any mind, and lost his lower leg.” Many poor people can’t afford healthcare and have to risk their lives by ignoring injuries. Over 30 million Americans are uninsured, and children in slum housing suffer from health problems like untreated cavities and infections because they lack access to basic care.
Education is another factor. Poor white families tend to live in communities with lower poverty rates than Black and Hispanic families. This means white children attend better-funded schools and live in safer environments. Desmond shows that “white households with high school degrees are wealthier than Black households with college degrees.” The cycle of poverty continues because children of color often lack the same educational opportunities, making it harder for them to escape poverty.
Lastly, Desmond examines housing. Stable housing is hard to find for people in poverty due to rising rents and falling incomes. Many people spend over half of their income on housing. This causes instability and homelessness, worsening the issue. Poor housing also affects physical and mental health, continuing the cycle of poverty.
Poverty, by America, by Matthew Desmond not only shares powerful personal stories, like those I can relate to, but also uncovers the deep connections between poverty, crime, health, education, and housing. Desmond writes to end the exploitation of workers, challenge broken systems, and push for a society that supports rather than punishes its poor. His message reminds me that my story is not an isolated one and that understanding poverty is the first step toward solving it.
Through my writing, I reflect on my personal experiences growing up and the significant changes that occurred as the cost of living escalated, resulting in my family becoming impoverished. I wrote this to shed light on the harsh realities faced by many individuals and families across the country, offering a firsthand account of the challenges and struggles associated with poverty. I structured this piece by explaining the book Poverty by America and the author's reason for writing it. Then, in my next paragraph, I wrote about why the book kind of stuck with me as I was growing up. The next paragraph was me using imagery to tell my story of becoming impoverished. With each paragraph, I'm adding more imagery and telling more about my life growing up. The style of writing I was mostly using is story and imagination, as I was mostly describing my story with a bunch of imagery to paint a vivid picture for the readers, like me describing how cold it is with many details. Poverty by America influenced my understanding of the complex issue of poverty in the United States and served as a starting point for initiating my writing process. One of the significant challenges I encountered during the writing process was infusing depth into my first draft. While poverty was a theme I loved to explore more, I struggled with combining it into my writing. However, writing this draft gave me useful insights into my life growing up. It prompted me to recognize the great evolution that has transpired in my life over the past decades.