Intensely powerful and eye-opening, this book follows eight families in Milwaukee as they face eviction. For some or all of the families, the threat of eviction was a constant cloud over their lives and in many cases they go from eviction to shelter to next home to eviction again, often in just a month or two.
Once a tenant has an eviction on their record, most landlords will no longer rent to them, so they can only rent in the poorest and most crime-ridden parts of town. They are perpetually behind on rent and have to make a choice between paying for that or utilities or food and clothes. If a tenant is not current on rent, the rights and protections that a tenant would enjoy under law are void, so landlords often do not bother to upkeep for maintenance, further degrading their already dire living situation. The book shows how these issues and more contribute to a never-ending cycle of grinding poverty, removing any hope for these families to claw out of it.
I like that the book pairs so much of the anecdotes with meticulously researched data. And it doesn't just talk about the problems, but also suggests public policy changes we can make to help alleviate this all-consuming problem for so many in our country. I would highly recommend this book to everyone.
Readaroo Rating: 5 stars!
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