The 2020 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction went to The Inheritance: A Novel, by Matthew Desmond. The book is a detailed exploration of economic inequality in the United States, offering a sobering lesson in the consequences of unequal access to wealth and opportunity. Desmond’s book traces the lives and experiences of families over three generations and explores how generational wealth determines their fate. This eye-opening narrative offers a gripping account of poverty and its foundation in our social and economic systems. The book was praised by the Pulitzer committee for its “widely admired, timely and meticulously researched exploration of America’s deep inequality.” It is a powerful testament to the importance of acknowledging our shared history and making the necessary changes to foster greater economic equity.
