Why this book?

Poverty, By America, written by Pulitizer Prize-winning author Matthew Desmond, is a concise examination of the policies, practices and priorities that concentrate wealth and opportunity in some communities, while turning others into zones of scarcity and despair. Drawing on history, research, and original reporting, his analysis concludes that the root cause of poverty is exploitation.

Troubling as that assertion is, it also points to possible solutions. If poverty is perpetuated by choices that individuals, corporations, and governments make, it can be ameliorated by a different, more equitable, set of decisions.

The University of Maryland is committed to tackling the grand challenges of our time. Poverty, By America, is an ambitious book that calls attention to a stubborn, morally urgent problem.

Instead of looking away from the challenge, let's look at it together and see what kinds of solutions we can devise. We eagerly anticipate the lively conversations and action-oriented learning that Desmond's book will inspire during this academic year.

-Jennifer King Rice, Senior Vice President and Provost, and
William A. Cohen, Associate Provost and Dean for Undergraduate Studies


Selected Praise and Reviews
  • "Urgent and accessible . . . Its moral force is a gut punch." - The New Yorker
  • "[T]hrough in-depth research and original reporting, the acclaimed sociologist offers solutions that would help spread America’s wealth and make everyone more prosperous." - Time
  • "A compact jeremiad on the persistence of extreme want in a nation of extraordinary wealth . . . [Desmond’s] purpose here is to draw attention to what’s plain in front of us—damn the etiquette, and damn the grand abstractions."- New York Times Book Review




books on shelf

MARYLAND TODAY

First Year Book Asks Why Income Inequality Persists in America

Read article



15

years since Federal Minimum Wage
($7.25) increased


24%

People in poverty skip medication because of cost


1 million

public schoolchildren are homeless, living in motels, cars, shelters, and abandoned buildings



Meet the First Year Book Committee for Academic Year 2023-2024

The First Year Book is chosen by a committee of University of Maryland faculty, staff, and students representing 10+ disciplines.

  • Imani Agbionu – Undergraduate Studies
  • Sai Harshini Badugu – Undergraduate Student
  • Kelly Biglin – Undergraduate Student
  • Tait Books – Director, Diversity Training & Education, Office of Diversity and Inclusion
  • James Butler – Associate Professor, Behavioral and Community Health
  • Lawrence Clark – Associate Professor and Associate Dean, Undergraduate Studies
  • Jessica Enoch – Professor, English
  • Virginia Haufler – Associate Professor, Government & Politics
  • Lisa Kiely – Associate Dean, Undergraduate Studies and Ombudsperson
  • Marilee Lindemann – Associate Professor and Executive Director, College Park Scholars
  • Elisabeth Fost Maring – Clinical Professor, Department of Family Science
  • Sydney Neal – Undergraduate Student
  • Ashley Newby – Lecturer and Director, Undergraduate Studies and African American Studies
  • Chinaza Ofor – Undergraduate Student
  • Julie Park – Associate Professor, Sociology
  • Korey Rothman – Director, Civic Engagement for Social Good (formerly CIVICUS)