Today, we are diving into Poverty, by America by Matthew Desmond.

This book tackles a fundamental and deeply troubling question: Why is there so much hardship in a land of such abundance? Desmond presents a provocative central argument—that American poverty is not an accident or a personal failing. Instead, it is a direct result of the choices and policies that benefit the affluent, a system where "some lives are made small so that others may grow."

The author, Matthew Desmond, is a leading authority on this subject. He is a Professor of Sociology at Princeton University and the principal investigator of The Eviction Lab. His previous book, Evicted, won the Pulitzer Prize, and he is the recipient of a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship.

His work forces us to confront an uncomfortable question: are we, the affluent and secure, complicit in their suffering? Let's dive into the evidence he presents.