Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City

While Tobin is only concerned with making money, Sherrena seems genuinely convinced she is helping her tenants, who in return only want to take advantage of her. Why would you agree or disagree with her perspective?

As Crystal hurls the belongings of Arleen and her boys out into the yard, she screams, “Y’all ain’t untouchable […] This is America! This is America!” (213). What kind of America is she describing? How does it compare to your idea of America? How does it contrast with Desmond’s?

There are several different families with children in the book. What different aspects of poverty impact their lives, and what effects do these have on them?

Scott is the only person whose life we see turn around. Why do you think this is the case? What are the tangible and/or intangible factors that allow him to succeed when so many others do not?

Arleen seems hopeful at the end of the book and dreams of a day in the future when they can all laugh about their lives up to this point. What do you think the chances of success are for Arleen? Why do you think she does or doesn’t achieve the stability she desires?

Desmond offers several proposals in the Epilogue to deal with the rates of eviction in America. What are they, and, based on your own research, do you agree or disagree with them?

Except for Scott Bunker, Desmond doesn’t provide much, if any, information about the people in this book after 2009. What are the effects on readers by leaving this information out?

Desmond relates the personal experiences of 8 Milwaukee families. How does the setting inform the work, and how might the personal accounts have differed in another city? For example, consider the homeless experience in other major cities, such as New York, Los Angeles, or Seattle.