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Behind the Beautiful Forevers
by Katherine Boo • 2012
A murder charge, born of envy, traps a garbage-sorting family in Mumbai's market for justice.
3.98
117k+
Behind the Beautiful Forevers Summary
Behind the Beautiful Forevers 88%
A murder charge, born of envy, traps a garbage-sorting family in Mumbai's market for justice.
by Katherine Boo 2012
3.98
117k+ ratings
Gang Leader for a Day
by Sudhir Venkatesh • 2008
A sociologist ran a Chicago gang for a day. The books were cleaner than he expected.
4.07
26k+
Gang Leader for a Day Summary
Gang Leader for a Day 87%
A sociologist ran a Chicago gang for a day. The books were cleaner than he expected.
by Sudhir Venkatesh 2008
4.07
26k+ ratings
Sidewalk
by Mitchell Duneier • 1999
Some of the most disorderly figures on the sidewalk are also the ones preventing real crime.
4.15
2k+
Sidewalk Summary
Sidewalk 87%
Some of the most disorderly figures on the sidewalk are also the ones preventing real crime.
by Mitchell Duneier 1999
4.15
2k+ ratings
Invisible Child
by Andrea Elliott • 2021
Born homeless in Brooklyn, Dasani gets one shot: a boarding school that accepts one in ten.
4.70
20k+
Invisible Child Summary
Invisible Child 86%
Born homeless in Brooklyn, Dasani gets one shot: a boarding school that accepts one in ten.
by Andrea Elliott 2021
4.70
20k+ ratings
Evicted
by Matthew Desmond • 2016
Poverty isn't the cause of eviction. Eviction is the cause of poverty, and the market profits.
4.47
115k+
Evicted Summary
Evicted 86%
Poverty isn't the cause of eviction. Eviction is the cause of poverty, and the market profits.
by Matthew Desmond 2016
4.47
115k+ ratings
Q & A
by Vikas Swarup • 2005
After winning a fortune on a quiz show, a penniless waiter must defend his impossible knowledge.
4.03
39k+
Q & A Summary
Q & A 86%
After winning a fortune on a quiz show, a penniless waiter must defend his impossible knowledge.
by Vikas Swarup 2005
4.03
39k+ ratings
Radical Cities
by Justin McGuirk • 2014
The slums and squatter towers of Latin America are the world's most daring urban experiments.
4.27
434
Radical Cities Summary
Radical Cities 86%
The slums and squatter towers of Latin America are the world's most daring urban experiments.
by Justin McGuirk 2014
4.27
434 ratings
The Promised Land
by Nicholas Lemann • 1991
The mechanical cotton picker displaced millions, and the cities they fled to were never the same.
4.24
798
The Promised Land Summary
The Promised Land 86%
The mechanical cotton picker displaced millions, and the cities they fled to were never the same.
by Nicholas Lemann 1991
4.24
798 ratings
Poverty Safari
by Darren McGarvey • 2017
Poverty isn't just broke. It's trauma, addiction, and a mind that fights its own rescue.
4.01
7k+
Poverty Safari Summary
Poverty Safari 86%
Poverty isn't just broke. It's trauma, addiction, and a mind that fights its own rescue.
by Darren McGarvey 2017
4.01
7k+ ratings
Fist Stick Knife Gun
by Geoffrey Canada • 1995
Respect was won with fists on Union Avenue. Then guns came and rewrote the rules for everyone.
4.03
3k+
Fist Stick Knife Gun Summary
Fist Stick Knife Gun 86%
Respect was won with fists on Union Avenue. Then guns came and rewrote the rules for everyone.
by Geoffrey Canada 1995
4.03
3k+ ratings
Ghetto
by Mitchell Duneier • 2015
The ghetto was built in Venice. It took 500 years for America to perfect it.
3.75
583
Ghetto Summary
Ghetto 86%
The ghetto was built in Venice. It took 500 years for America to perfect it.
by Mitchell Duneier 2015
3.75
583 ratings
The Lost and the Found
by Kevin Fagan • 2025
A reporter followed two unhoused people in San Francisco. One got out. The other didn't. Here's why.
4.27
912
The Lost and the Found Summary
The Lost and the Found 86%
A reporter followed two unhoused people in San Francisco. One got out. The other didn't. Here's why.
by Kevin Fagan 2025
4.27
912 ratings
No Shame in My Game
by Katherine S. Newman • 1999
The job everyone ridicules might be the best shot at dignity for America's working poor.
3.75
466
No Shame in My Game Summary
No Shame in My Game 86%
The job everyone ridicules might be the best shot at dignity for America's working poor.
by Katherine S. Newman 1999
3.75
466 ratings
Ain't No Makin' It
by Jay MacLeod • 2008
One group believed hard work would save them; the other didn't. Class position decided their fates.
4.07
1k+
Ain't No Makin' It Summary
Ain't No Makin' It 85%
One group believed hard work would save them; the other didn't. Class position decided their fates.
by Jay MacLeod 2008
4.07
1k+ ratings
How to Kill a City
by Peter Moskowitz • 2017
Four cities, one playbook: policy and profit, not hipsters, push out the poor and replace them.
4.07
4k+
How to Kill a City Summary
How to Kill a City 85%
Four cities, one playbook: policy and profit, not hipsters, push out the poor and replace them.
by Peter Moskowitz 2017
4.07
4k+ ratings
American Apartheid
by Douglas S. Massey • 1993
The ghetto was engineered. Segregation, not class or culture, makes black poverty permanent.
4.13
2k+
American Apartheid Summary
American Apartheid 85%
The ghetto was engineered. Segregation, not class or culture, makes black poverty permanent.
by Douglas S. Massey 1993
4.13
2k+ ratings
The New Urban Crisis
by Richard Florida • 2017
Why urban revival is driving inequality and pushing out the middle class.
3.49
1k+
The New Urban Crisis Summary
The New Urban Crisis 85%
Why urban revival is driving inequality and pushing out the middle class.
by Richard Florida 2017
3.49
1k+ ratings
Capital City
by Samuel Stein • 2019
Gentrification is not a market outcome. It is policy, written by the real estate industry.
3.92
2k+
Capital City Summary
Capital City 85%
Gentrification is not a market outcome. It is policy, written by the real estate industry.
by Samuel Stein 2019
3.92
2k+ ratings
Rough Sleepers
by Tracy Kidder • 2023
The homeless die ten times faster. A Boston doctor found that trust is the only cure.
4.34
11k+
Rough Sleepers Summary
Rough Sleepers 85%
The homeless die ten times faster. A Boston doctor found that trust is the only cure.
by Tracy Kidder 2023
4.34
11k+ ratings
All That Is Solid
by Danny Dorling • 2014
Britain has a third more bedrooms than people. The housing disaster is engineered, not inevitable.
3.55
144
All That Is Solid Summary
All That Is Solid 85%
Britain has a third more bedrooms than people. The housing disaster is engineered, not inevitable.
by Danny Dorling 2014
3.55
144 ratings
Homelessness Is a Housing Problem
by Gregg Colburn • 2022
Homelessness rates don't track mental illness or poverty. They track rent and vacancy rates.
4.21
1k+
Homelessness Is a Housing Problem Summary
Homelessness Is a Housing Problem 85%
Homelessness rates don't track mental illness or poverty. They track rent and vacancy rates.
by Gregg Colburn 2022
4.21
1k+ ratings
Improving Poor People
by Michael B. Katz • 1995
Why America keeps trying to fix the poor instead of poverty, and what history reveals.
3.83
12
Improving Poor People Summary
Improving Poor People 85%
Why America keeps trying to fix the poor instead of poverty, and what history reveals.
by Michael B. Katz 1995
3.83
12 ratings
The Other Side of Prospect
by Nicholas Dawidoff • 2022
A murder in New Haven, a false confession, and the forces that made both inevitable.
4.43
462
The Other Side of Prospect Summary
The Other Side of Prospect 85%
A murder in New Haven, a false confession, and the forces that made both inevitable.
by Nicholas Dawidoff 2022
4.43
462 ratings
Where Tomorrows Aren't Promised
by Carmelo Anthony • 2021
Grief unnamed, a mother's open door, a blacktop sanctuary: surviving the projects before the NBA.
4.07
2k+
Where Tomorrows Aren't Promised Summary
Where Tomorrows Aren't Promised 85%
Grief unnamed, a mother's open door, a blacktop sanctuary: surviving the projects before the NBA.
by Carmelo Anthony 2021
4.07
2k+ ratings
The Locust Effect
by Gary A. Haugen • 2013
Poverty's root cause is violence, not economics. The aid industry has been fixing the wrong problem.
4.32
2k+
The Locust Effect Summary
The Locust Effect 85%
Poverty's root cause is violence, not economics. The aid industry has been fixing the wrong problem.
by Gary A. Haugen 2013
4.32
2k+ ratings
Portfolios of the Poor
by Daryl Collins • 2009
Hand-to-mouth is a myth. On $2 a day, the poor juggle a dozen financial instruments just to survive.
3.95
1k+
Portfolios of the Poor Summary
Portfolios of the Poor 85%
Hand-to-mouth is a myth. On $2 a day, the poor juggle a dozen financial instruments just to survive.
by Daryl Collins 2009
3.95
1k+ ratings
Black River
by Nilanjana Roy • 2022
A farmer's daughter is murdered, the village seizes a scapegoat, and the police look away.
3.95
2k+
Black River Summary
Black River 85%
A farmer's daughter is murdered, the village seizes a scapegoat, and the police look away.
by Nilanjana Roy 2022
3.95
2k+ ratings
Scorpions
by Walter Dean Myers • 1995
A Harlem boy inherits his brother's gang and a gun, learning their true cost.
3.8
3k+
Scorpions Summary
Scorpions 85%
A Harlem boy inherits his brother's gang and a gun, learning their true cost.
by Walter Dean Myers 1995
3.8
3k+ ratings
LE GONE DU CHABAA
by Azouz Begag • 1986
In a Lyon shantytown, a boy studies toward a future his traditional father cannot imagine.
3.63
1k+
LE GONE DU CHABAA Summary
LE GONE DU CHABAA 85%
In a Lyon shantytown, a boy studies toward a future his traditional father cannot imagine.
by Azouz Begag 1986
3.63
1k+ ratings
Money Hungry
by Sharon G. Flake • 2001
Raspberry's money obsession is a wall she builds against the homelessness she barely escaped.
4.10
4k+
Money Hungry Summary
Money Hungry 85%
Raspberry's money obsession is a wall she builds against the homelessness she barely escaped.
by Sharon G. Flake 2001
4.10
4k+ ratings
The Bridge Home
by Padma Venkatraman • 2019
Protecting her disabled sister, Viji flees their father and builds a family on a Chennai bridge.
4.26
12k+
The Bridge Home Summary
The Bridge Home 85%
Protecting her disabled sister, Viji flees their father and builds a family on a Chennai bridge.
by Padma Venkatraman 2019
4.26
12k+ ratings
Dawood's Mentor
by S. Hussain Zaidi • 2019
The wrestler who built the Dawood empire, then pulled off the Mumbai mafia's only clean break.
4.00
275
Dawood's Mentor Summary
Dawood's Mentor 85%
The wrestler who built the Dawood empire, then pulled off the Mumbai mafia's only clean break.
by S. Hussain Zaidi 2019
4.00
275 ratings
Homeboyz
by Alan Sitomer • 2007
His sister killed by gangs, a teen genius must choose between revenge and saving a boy.
4.34
2k+
Homeboyz Summary
Homeboyz 85%
His sister killed by gangs, a teen genius must choose between revenge and saving a boy.
by Alan Sitomer 2007
4.34
2k+ ratings
Pimp
by Iceberg Slim • 1967
A Chicago pimp traces his transformation from wounded boy to master manipulator to man undone.
4.00
15k+
Pimp Summary
Pimp 85%
A Chicago pimp traces his transformation from wounded boy to master manipulator to man undone.
by Iceberg Slim 1967
4.00
15k+ ratings
When the Fireflies Dance
by Aisha Hassan • 2025
Exiled from bonded labor at a Lahore kiln, a boy must steal to free his family.
4.19
4k+
When the Fireflies Dance Summary
When the Fireflies Dance 85%
Exiled from bonded labor at a Lahore kiln, a boy must steal to free his family.
by Aisha Hassan 2025
4.19
4k+ ratings
The Night Always Comes
by Willy Vlautin • 2021
A Portland waitress has one night to make a down payment or her family loses everything.
3.83
7k+
The Night Always Comes Summary
The Night Always Comes 85%
A Portland waitress has one night to make a down payment or her family loses everything.
by Willy Vlautin 2021
3.83
7k+ ratings
The Origins of the Urban Crisis
by Thomas J. Sugrue • 1996
Detroit collapsed from job loss and housing segregation decades before the 1967 riot finished it.
4.24
2k+
The Origins of the Urban Crisis Summary
The Origins of the Urban Crisis 85%
Detroit collapsed from job loss and housing segregation decades before the 1967 riot finished it.
by Thomas J. Sugrue 1996
4.24
2k+ ratings
The Other Wes Moore
by Wes Moore • 2010
Two boys named Wes Moore, same city. One became a Rhodes Scholar; the other got life.
3.87
60k+
The Other Wes Moore Summary
The Other Wes Moore 85%
Two boys named Wes Moore, same city. One became a Rhodes Scholar; the other got life.
by Wes Moore 2010
3.87
60k+ ratings
Gaffs
by Rory Hearne • 2022
Why Ireland's housing crisis is not a market failure but a government strategy to enrich investors.
3.52
171
Gaffs Summary
Gaffs 85%
Why Ireland's housing crisis is not a market failure but a government strategy to enrich investors.
by Rory Hearne 2022
3.52
171 ratings
Dongri To Dubai
by S. Hussain Zaidi • 2012
Gold smugglers, Bollywood dreams, and the constable's son who became a global terrorist.
3.95
11k+
Dongri To Dubai Summary
Dongri To Dubai 85%
Gold smugglers, Bollywood dreams, and the constable's son who became a global terrorist.
by S. Hussain Zaidi 2012
3.95
11k+ ratings
San Fransicko
by Michael Shellenberger • 2021
Progressive compassion for the homeless and addicted is making both groups larger and sicker.
4.01
4k+
San Fransicko Summary
San Fransicko 85%
Progressive compassion for the homeless and addicted is making both groups larger and sicker.
by Michael Shellenberger 2021
4.01
4k+ ratings
The Mystery Of Capital
by Hernando de Soto • 2000
$9.3 trillion: what the world's poor already own and cannot borrow a dime against.
3.99
4k+
The Mystery Of Capital Summary
The Mystery Of Capital 85%
$9.3 trillion: what the world's poor already own and cannot borrow a dime against.
by Hernando de Soto 2000
3.99
4k+ ratings
English Journey
by J.B. Priestley • 1934
Factories silent, towns hollow, but the people Priestley met in 1933 refused to vanish.
4.09
483
English Journey Summary
English Journey 85%
Factories silent, towns hollow, but the people Priestley met in 1933 refused to vanish.
by J.B. Priestley 1934
4.09
483 ratings
Nowhere to Live
by James S. Burling • 2024
Why can't Americans afford homes? A century of rules made building them illegal.
4.00
12
Nowhere to Live Summary
Nowhere to Live 85%
Why can't Americans afford homes? A century of rules made building them illegal.
by James S. Burling 2024
4.00
12 ratings
Bereketli Topraklar Üzerinde
by Orhan Kemal • 1954
Three men walk to the cotton mills carrying blankets on their backs and wages in their heads.
4.21
2k+
Bereketli Topraklar Üzerinde Summary
Bereketli Topraklar Üzerinde 85%
Three men walk to the cotton mills carrying blankets on their backs and wages in their heads.
by Orhan Kemal 1954
4.21
2k+ ratings
Life at the Bottom
by Theodore Dalrymple • 2001
Poverty didn't wreck the underclass. A set of ideas did—and intellectuals handed them down.
4.23
4k+
Life at the Bottom Summary
Life at the Bottom 85%
Poverty didn't wreck the underclass. A set of ideas did—and intellectuals handed them down.
by Theodore Dalrymple 2001
4.23
4k+ ratings
Behind the Door
by Amy Price • 2023
An interior designer becomes manager of L.A.'s Cecil Hotel, where the dead outnumber the living.
3.48
1k+
Behind the Door Summary
Behind the Door 85%
An interior designer becomes manager of L.A.'s Cecil Hotel, where the dead outnumber the living.
by Amy Price 2023
3.48
1k+ ratings
Maid
by Stephanie Land • 2019
A single mother cleans houses while barely holding onto her own: life inside the working poor.
3.86
114k+
Maid Summary
Maid 85%
A single mother cleans houses while barely holding onto her own: life inside the working poor.
by Stephanie Land 2019
3.86
114k+ ratings
Tattoos on the Heart
by Gregory Boyle • 2009
Gang programs fail because they're conditional. One LA priest bet on love that refuses to quit.
4.49
31k+
Tattoos on the Heart Summary
Tattoos on the Heart 85%
Gang programs fail because they're conditional. One LA priest bet on love that refuses to quit.
by Gregory Boyle 2009
4.49
31k+ ratings
The Flea Palace
by Elif Shafak • 2002
At a decaying Istanbul apartment building, a pest control van unearths the tenants' tangled secrets.
3.39
8k+
The Flea Palace Summary
The Flea Palace 85%
At a decaying Istanbul apartment building, a pest control van unearths the tenants' tangled secrets.
by Elif Shafak 2002
3.39
8k+ ratings
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