What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedEvicted
Matthew Desmond · Book · 2016
If you loved Evicted, start with Maid (Molly Smith Metzler, 2021) — a series on the same thread. Below: 4 films, 2 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to Evicted across media.
If you loved Evicted, you are drawn to stories where systemic instability forces individuals into desperate cycles of survival.
Films on the same thread
The Housemaid
Paul Feig · Film · 2025
Explores: Class Conflict, Gaslighting, Identity Theft.
Like the precarious lives documented in Evicted, this thriller examines the volatile power dynamics between the wealthy and those who rely on them for their basic livelihood.
99 Homes
Ramin Bahrani · Film · 2015
Shares a thread with Evicted: Exploitation.
This film mirrors the harsh economic realities of Evicted, highlighting the moral compromises individuals make when the systems meant to provide housing instead strip them of everything.
The Grapes of Wrath
John Ford · Film · 1940
Explores: Economic hardship, Family resilience, The American Dream disillusionment.
Much like the families struggling for stability in Evicted, this classic portrays the devastating human cost when displacement and economic hardship tear a family unit apart.
12 Years a Slave
Steve McQueen · Film · 2013
Explores: Injustice, Survival, Loss of Freedom.
This story echoes the deep injustice found in Evicted, focusing on a protagonist whose fight for dignity and survival is constantly threatened by systemic cruelty and lack of support.
Series on the same thread
Maid
Molly Smith Metzler · Series · 2021
Explores: Single Motherhood, Breaking the Cycle of Abuse, Resilience.
This series captures the same grueling struggle for security seen in Evicted, grounding the abstract concept of poverty in the lived, exhausting experience of a young mother.
The Night Of
Richard Price · Series · 2016
Explores: Wrongful Accusation, Criminal Justice System, Moral Ambiguity.
Just as Evicted reveals how the law often fails the vulnerable, this series exposes the cold, indifferent machinery of the criminal justice system and its impact on class.
Podcasts on the same thread
1619
The New York Times · Podcast · 2019
Shares a thread with Evicted: social justice.
Similar to the investigative rigor of Evicted, this podcast uncovers the foundational systemic inequities that continue to shape the lives of marginalized people across the United States today.
This American Life
This American Life · Podcast · 2026
Explores: The human condition, Personal narrative, Social observation.
If the narrative journalism of Evicted moved you, these intimate stories provide a similar window into the complexities of the human condition within a shifting social landscape.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is Evicted considered a highly regarded work of nonfiction?
Yes, Evicted is a New York Times bestseller and a winner of the Pulitzer Prize. It is recognized as one of the ten best nonfiction books of the decade by Time and is included in the New York Times list of the 100 best books of the 21st century.
Who is the author of Evicted?
Evicted was written by Matthew Desmond, a Princeton sociologist and MacArthur Fellow. His work in this book is noted for setting a new standard for reporting on the subject of poverty in America.
What is the primary focus of the reporting in Evicted?
Evicted focuses on the experience of poverty in America. The book is a work of sociology that provides an in-depth look at housing instability and the eviction crisis, earning acclaim for its rigorous reporting on these critical social issues.
How has the critical reception of Evicted been described?
Evicted has been described as a modern classic. Barbara Ehrenreich stated in The New York Times Book Review that the book has set a new standard for reporting on poverty, reflecting its status as one of the most acclaimed nonfiction works of our time.