Structure

Matthew Desmond's Poverty, by America is divided into nine chapters not including the meditative prologue and epilogue. The first three chapters define the problem of poverty and provide historical background information as well as explain why Americans have not made more progress in eliminating poverty. Chapters four, five, and six examine the forces that conspire to keep the poor very poor. Chapter five specifically explains how the rich stay very rich by relying on welfare shaped for the affluent. Chapter six explains how opportunities can be bought rather than earned in the United States. Chapters seven, eight, and nine are rallying cries to empower the poor by breaking down the literal and metaphorical walls that separate rich and poor.

Each chapter draws heavily on research materials such as investigative journalism and peer-reviewed sociological studies to help readers understand the complex problem of poverty. If the early chapters...