Our Bookshelf

“Without stable housing, everything else falls apart” – While Evicted focuses on the lived experiences of a handful of low-income renters in Milwaukee, their setbacks and struggles echo through cities across America. Evicted not only describes in painstaking detail the housing crisis facing American renters but makes the argument that the very act of eviction is a cause, not just a condition, of poverty.

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“You know deep inside that every kid has a right to food, shelter, water, and a future that’s safe and bright.” – Cindy Wang Brandt’s words offer an encouraging message to children – everyone has what it takes to change the world. Lynnor Bontigao’s illustrations take that message even further, visually telling the story of a community coming together to fight for housing justice.

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“Almost nothing counts more than the person who shows up.” – Invisible Child takes the reader through eight years in the life of one unforgettable girl as she navigates poverty, homelessness, eviction, foster care, and racism in New York City. Heartbreaking and inspiring, Invisible Child is both a story of resilience and a case study on the cost of inequality.

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Published by the National Housing Institute, Shelterfoce is a great starting point for anyone seeking a better understanding of the state of housing stability in America and ways we can support and empower low-income communities. We suggest starting with two podcast episodes as part of their “Under the Lens” series—a collection of stories from across the country—specifically “What are your landlord’s legal obligations? Depends on where you live,” and “Is everything in your lease legal?”

“It is no honor to be tolerated. Every spiritual tradition says love your neighbor as yourself, not tolerate them.” – Through detailed historical events and the author’s personal stories, Caste’s view of the world is one in which all men were not created equal. Written in eye-opening detail, tracing back generations and comparing societies across the globe, Wilkerson's call to readers is that we must each play a role in dismantling systemic oppression so that we may all be set free.

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"Poverty isn't a line. It's a tight knot of social maladies. It is connected to every social problem we care about--crime, health, education, housing--and its persistence in American life means that millions of families are denied safety and security and dignity in one of the richest nations in the history of the world." - In Poverty, by America, Matthew Desmond asks why the wealthiest nation on earth has more poverty than any other advanced democracy. His answer? It's not due to a lack of resources. Poverty, by America is a call to action for "each of us, in our own way, [to] become poverty abolitionists."

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"Because you must know, dear heart, that you are worthy of care whether your house is immaculate or a mess." - How to Keep House While Drowning offers both a practical approach for tackling household chores and compassionate reassurance for those with anxiety, fatigue, depression, ADHD, or a lack of support. With tactics such as the "5 Things Tidying Method," Davis offers tips and tools to help readers turn their home into a place of peace and rest.

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"The Sensitive Way is the belief, deep down, that quality of life is more valuable than raw achievement, that human connection is more satisfying than dominating others, and that your life is more meaningful when you spend time reflecting on your experiences and leading with your heart." - Through Sensitive, Granneman and Sólo champion the "highly sensitive person (HSP)" - those big-hearted, intelligent, creative types who feel things deeply. Highlighting the strengths of sensitive people and arguing for the need for HSPs in positions of leadership, Sensitive aims to change how the world sees sensitive people, and how they see themselves.

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