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Desmond, Matthew : Evicted: Poverty And Profit In The American City

Crown Press, New York City, NY, 2016

ISBN 0553447432

First Edition / First Printing. Fine in No Dust Jacket, As Issued. 325 pages. The author's breakthrough book-length account on subject. One of the most important books of our time. Advance Reader's Edition. Precedes and should not be confused with all other subsequent editions, particularly the regular trade edition. Published in a small and limited print run as a softcover original only for the exclusive use of the author and publisher. None of the copies was sold commercially. The Advance Reader's Edition is now rare. Presents, in its earliest-state publication format, Matthew Desmond's "Evicted: Poverty And Profit In The American City". Our very own "How The Other Half Lives". A ground-breaking and indispensable account that is now widely considered a classic. "In this brilliant, heart-breaking book, Matthew Desmond takes us into the poorest neighborhoods of Milwaukee, to tell the story of eight families on the edge. All are spending almost everything they have on rent, and all have fallen behind. Even in the most desolate areas of American cities, evictions used to be rare. But today, most 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 poverty and economic exploitation while providing fresh ideas for solving a devastating, uniquely American problem. Its unforgettable scenes of hope and loss remind us of the centrality of home, without which nothing else is possible" (Publisher's blurb). Matthew Desmond's own personal story is the driving force behind his book: He himself grew up in a (white) family which struggled with poverty throughout his childhood, and in a way that wasn't all that different from the (black) lives he has meticulously chronicled here as a sociologist and public intellectual. His account resonates because it is autobiographical. It is that very rare thing: A solid work of scholarship that is written in his irrefutable, personal voice. "Eviction is to young black women what incarceration is to young black men" (Matthew Desmond). An absolute "must-have" title for Matthew Desmond collectors. This copy is very prominently and beautifully signed, placed, and dated in black pen on the title page by the author: "Matthew Desmond NYC 3.5.17". It is signed directly on the page itself, not on a tipped-in page, as copies available online are. Laid-in is a pristine copy of Souvenir Material of the event during which his signature was obtained. This title is a contemporary classic. As far as we know, this is the only such signed, placed, and dated copy of the Advance Reader's Edition available online and is in especially fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright, a pristine beauty. Please note: By the time Desmond made a few public appearances to promote his book, it was already a bestseller. Copies available online are subsequent printings. A rare signed copy thus. Winner of the MacArthur Genius Grant in 2015 on the basis of this one book. One of the most brilliant American writers of our time. A fine copy. (SEE ALSO OTHER COPY OF THIS TITLE IN OUR CATALOG). ISBN 0553447432.

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