College is about learning - and reading. One of our goals at Wisconsin Lutheran College is to help you develop a love for reading and the confidence that you can critically evaluate what you have read, then apply it to your life and work.
With that in mind, each summer we ask incoming students to read a common text. The book selected this year is Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond. In this brilliant, heartbreaking book, Desmond takes us into the poorest neighborhoods of our own hometown of Milwaukee to tell the story of eight families on the edge. Based on years of embedded fieldwork and painstakingly gathered data, this book transforms our understanding of extreme poverty and economic exploitation while providing fresh ideas for solving a devastating, uniquely American problem. Its unforgettable scenes of hope and loss remind us of the centrality of home, without which nothing else is possible.
New and used copies plus eBook versions of Evicted are widely available; check Amazon or your local new or used bookstore (ISBN-13 978-0553447453).
We suggest that you read this text before arriving for Orientation in August. The book will be infused into course assignments, discussions, guest lectures, and student programming throughout the year.
We hope you have a blessed summer, and we look forward to meeting you and discussing your insights regarding Evicted during the coming year. Please bring your copy of the text to campus so that you can refer to it when it is discussed.