This is powerful. Why can't poor people just work harder and budget better? This is the answer to that question. I've been poor, but I've never been this poor. I've always been lucky to have reliable transportation, a good job or two, and a supportive family. I'm aware how lucky I am, but this reinforces that. I had no idea how horrible the housing crisis is for people living in poverty or what a big impact housing is on keeping people in a near hopeless, never-ending cycle of poverty.

A few years ago while waiting in a grocery story check out, I witnessed a young woman who had to choose what items to leave out because she didn't have enough to buy what had been rung up. She choose milk and bread and left out the lettuce. I wish I had been paying more attention and bought all of it for her. It all happened quickly because of course she was embarrassed. That was several years ago, and I can only remember bits and pieces, but it's stuck with me. Books like this are important because it's easy to live in ignorance of how people are struggling daily.

Desmond offers some solutions at the end, and I agree there isn't one magical answer. However, better public transportation, access to affordable health care, and a higher minimum wage are desperately needed. Just as important are a better staffed court system and more social workers to help meet the need. These are two industries that are completely overwhelmed, which hurts the people they are supposed to serve.

Don't skip the last bit where he explains how he investigated and conducted research for this book. Not only is it interesting, it's heartbreaking how much even his slight involvement improved these people's lives when they needed a helping hand. He didn't do much because he couldn't make much of an impact without skewing the data, but he obviously couldn't just stand by unaffected and unwilling to help what little he did.