Economics · Book club
Poverty, by America book club questions
Here are 11 book club questions for Poverty, by America by Matthew Desmond, ordered to open easily and end somewhere worth arguing about. Copy them, print them, or bring them up one at a time.
Poverty, by America is Matthew Desmond's follow-up to Evicted, and it makes a more explicit and polemical argument: poverty in the United States is not a natural condition or a problem of insufficient resources.
Matthew Desmond · 2023 · 3h 45m
Full summary and key takeaways →The 11 questions
- 1.
Desmond says non-poor Americans are not just indifferent to poverty but complicit in it. Does that framing change how you think about your own position in the economy?
- 2.
He argues that the hidden welfare state for the affluent is larger than means-tested programs for the poor. Is that comparison persuasive? Does it matter how you count it?
- 3.
Which of the three exploitation mechanisms — employer, landlord, or bank — feels most responsible to you for the persistence of poverty? Why?
- 4.
The book's tone is more polemical than Evicted. Does the shift make the argument more or less convincing to you?
- 5.
If poverty is maintained by the choices of non-poor Americans, which choice would be hardest to change? Which would be easiest?
- 6.
Desmond asks readers to become 'poverty abolitionists.' What would that actually look like in a life like yours?
- 7.
The mortgage interest deduction is politically almost untouchable. What does that tell us about the relationship between democratic politics and poverty policy?
- 8.
Desmond frames the reader as part of the system. Did that approach make you more receptive to his argument or more defensive? Why?
- 9.
How does Poverty, by America change or extend the argument Desmond made in Evicted? Does reading one help or require reading the other?
- 10.
His prescription includes stronger unions and higher minimum wages. Which opposition to those policies do you find most intellectually serious?
- 11.
If poverty is a political choice, why do politicians in the world's wealthiest country continue to make it?
How to run the discussion
- Pick six to eight, not all of them. An hour of real discussion covers fewer questions than anyone expects, and racing the list is what makes a book club feel like homework.
- Open with what people noticed, not what they concluded. Asking for a verdict first hardens opinions before anyone has heard each other.
- Let the disagreement run. The questions below that split a room are the ones worth the time; the ones everyone answers the same way can be skipped.
- Ask the quiet person a specific question. A direct, narrow question is far easier to answer than an open invitation to contribute.
Themes worth steering toward
If the conversation stalls, these are the threads that usually restart it.
Common questions
What are good book club questions for Poverty, by America?
Here are 11 book club questions for Poverty, by America by Matthew Desmond, ordered to open easily and end somewhere worth arguing about. The strongest openers ask what each reader noticed rather than what they concluded, and the discussion usually turns on poverty, inequality, exploitation.
How long should a book club discussion of Poverty, by America last?
Most groups run 60 to 90 minutes of actual discussion. That is roughly six to eight questions, not all of them, so pick the ones that suit your group rather than working down the list in order.
What are the main themes in Poverty, by America?
Poverty, Inequality, Exploitation, Policy, Complicity. Those are the threads most likely to divide a room, which makes them the useful places to steer a discussion that has gone quiet.
Picking the next one? See books like Poverty, by America or questions for other book club picks.
