Milwaukee Mayor Cites EVICTED as Inspiration for New City Housing Plan
March 1, 2018
The real-world impact of Matthew Desmond’s Pulitzer Prize-winning, New York Times bestselling book EVICTED: Poverty and Profit in the American City (Crown/Broadway) continues. Tom Barrett, Mayor of Milwaukee, recently announced a commitment to build or improve 10,000 housing units in that Wisconsin city over the next 10 years. Mr. Barrett acknowledged that his plan was hatched in the wake of lessons learned from scenarios presented in EVICTED, which follows the fates of eight families in Milwaukee as they struggle to keep a roof over their heads.
Image by Michael Kienitz[/caption]
On the horizon: Evicted, a new, ground-breaking exhibition exploring the causes and impacts of eviction, will be on display at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC, from April 14, 2018 through May 19, 2019. Created in collaboration with Mr. Desmond, the Evicted exhibition will offer an immersive experience bringing visitors into the world of low-income renter eviction. With unique design elements and striking graphics, the exhibition will challenge adults and youth to face the enormity of a difficult subject, while providing context and a call to action.
Matthew Desmond Wins RFK Book Award for EVICTED
May 24, 2017
Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights presented its 37th Annual Book Award to Matthew Desmond’s EVICTED, the Pulitzer Prize-winning title published by the Crown Publishing Group. Book Awards Chair Michael Beschloss said, “EVICTED takes an unsparing look at issues that Robert Kennedy cared deeply
EVICTED Author Matthew Desmond Wins 2017 Hillman Prize for Book Journalism
April 25, 2017
The Sidney Hillman Foundation has announced the winners of the 2017 Hillman Prizes, the only major all-media awards dedicated to journalism in service of social and economic justice.
The 2017 Hillman Prize for Book Journalism went to Matthew Desmond for EVICTED: Poverty and Profit in the American City (Crown), which previously won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction; the 2016
From the Hillman Foundation judges’ commentary: “Through vivid storytelling, Desmond shows the tough circumstances his subjects faced: selling food stamps for half their value to get cash, how a broken car led to eviction, and choosing between movers putting personal possessions in bonded storage or out on the curb. He also identifies unseen costs – the psychological effects of eviction, how it disrupts relationships, children’s education and communities, and how it leads to future instability … Not only does Desmond’s book transform our understanding of extreme poverty and economic exploitation, it provides fresh and pragmatic ideas for solving this uniquely American problem.”
We congratulate Mr. Desmond, his editor, Amanda Cook, and everyone at the Crown Publishing Group.
Bruce Raynor, President of the Sidney Hillman Foundation, said, “This year’s Hillman Prize winners investigated powerful people and institutions and exposed hypocrisy, discrimination, and exploitation. At this moment in our history, the role of courageous journalists like our 2017 winners are more important than ever to our democracy.”
The Hillman Foundation will present its distinguished annual journalism prizes, awarded every year since 1950, at a ceremony and reception at The Times Center in New York City on Tuesday, May 9.