OBOC 2018-19


Shared Experiences Draw People Together.
Share a Book.
Share an Experience.

Shared experiences draw people together. That is why we are continuing the One Book, One Community (OBOC) program for its 10th year. Everyone in the school is invited to join together in reading and discussing Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond.

Selecting this Year’s Book: From the Dean

"Evicted by Matthew Desmond describes the plight of poor families who, for want of a few dollars, are forced to move from their homes, apartments, or trailers. An ethnographer, Desmond shares the intimate vicissitudes of his subject / friends as they struggle to make ends meet while negotiating a bewildering system of slumlords, public agencies, law enforcement, and courts, a system that seems almost designed to reinforce a downward spiral of poverty. The consequences of eviction are especially felt by mothers with young children, whose development is jeopardized by substandard housing, low quality neighborhoods, and poor nutrition. 

"Social factors are well known to be paramount determinants of health and well-being, and Evicted heartbreakingly illuminates how poverty and lack of housing affect families and communities. America’s health compares poorly to other economically developed counties. Everyone interested in improving public health should read Evicted to better understand poverty, housing, and health.”

The book has been a New York Times best seller, won a Pulitzer Prize, and was on Bill Gates’s summer reading list in 2017

OBOC 2019 Main Event: "Close to Home: Street Medicine" with founder James Withers on 3/28

 One Book One Community, the Global Health Student Association, and the Center for Global Health present the powerful 30-minute documentary Close to Home: Street Medicine which shares voices of service providers and oft-forgotten homeless patients in our region. Catch the film and hear directly from:

  • Jim Withers, founder and medical director of Pittsburgh Mercy’s Operation Safety Net® and the Street Medicine Institute.
  • Matt Lewis, producer and videographer of Close to Home, co-produced by PBS 39 and the Lehigh Valley Health Network.

Check out the @PittPubicHealth on Instagram to enter & win a free copy of Evicted.

 

Maximize past events

Maximize more on the author

Maximize Our Research and Partnerships on the Topic

Maximize resources and information

Read-Along Program

Alumni, families, and friends are invited to sign up below and read along with the school’s students and faculty by participating in the second read-along program. Read Evicted and participate in live and virtual events and discussions. Read more...

WHERE TO GET THE BOOK

Get 10 percent off at the University Store on Fifth (with Pitt ID).

Also available at Pitt's Hillman LibraryFalk Library (HSLS), and the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

Questions?

With questions about OBOC, or to suggest an event, contact Kimmy Rehak, educational programs specialist.

facebook icon obocLike OBOC on Facebook for news, tools, discussions, and more. 

In The News

image

Lichtveld touts equity in climate change science at NAM annual meeting 

Lichtveld touts equity in climate change science at NAM annual meeting

“The absolute bottom line for us in the area of science is that we are responsible for making climate and health science work for those most vulnerable. Across all presentations, every single presenter talked about issues of equity and issues of vulnerability,” Lichtveld said. “A climate focus must... (11/22/2021)
image

Effort to Reframe Climate Change as a Health Crisis Gains Steam 

Effort to Reframe Climate Change as a Health Crisis Gains Steam

NEW YORK TIMES - Research has increasingly shown that warming is taking a deadly toll on human health. At the global climate summit in Glasgow, the issue has gained new prominence. For the first time at a major United Nations climate conference, human health is emerging as a leading issue, a refram... (11/16/2021)
image

A Move to Rein In Cancer-Causing 'Forever Chemicals'  

A Move to Rein In Cancer-Causing 'Forever Chemicals'

NEW YORK TIMES - Michael Regan, the EPA administrator, wants to limit a class of chemicals that has been linked to cancer and is found in everything from drinking water to furniture. The Biden administration said it would require chemical manufacturers to test and pubilcly report the amount of a fa... (11/14/2021)
image

Why heat waves are a growing risk for pregnant women 

Why heat waves are a growing risk for pregnant women

NPR - With extreme heat waves on the rise in a changing climate, doctors are finding that pregnant women are particularly vulnerable. Heat waves increase the chances of going into labor early, having a stillbirth, or having a baby with low birthweight.The risk is even greater for women of color, es... (10/18/2021)
image

We need to talk about your gas stove, your health and climate change 

We need to talk about your gas stove, your health and climate change

NPR - Americans love their gas stoves. It's a romance fueled by a decades-old "cooking with gas" campaign from utilities. The details have changed over time, but the message is the same: Using a gas stove makes you a better cook. But the beloved gas stove has become a focal point in a fight over wh... (10/18/2021)
image

Then and now: Pandemic clears the air  

Then and now: Pandemic clears the air

BBC NEWS - In a monthly feature, the BBC reveals some of the ways that planet Earth has been changing against the backdrop of the warming world. Air pollution has long been one of the biggest killers, claiming an estimated seven million victims annually. However, the Covid-19 global pandemic showed... (10/18/2021)
image

COP26: What is the Glasgow climate conference and why is it important? 

COP26: What is the Glasgow climate conference and why is it important?

BBC NEWS - The UK is hosting a summit that is seen as crucial if climate change is to be brought under control. The meeting in Glasgow this fall could lead to major changes to our everyday lives. The world is warming because of fossil fuel emissions caused by humans. Extreme weather events linked t... (10/18/2021)
image

Sustainable grains for breaking bread — and fighting climate change 

Sustainable grains for breaking bread — and fighting climate change

THE WASHINGTON POST - Most commercial crops are annual. They provide only one harvest and must be replanted every year. Growing these foods on an industrial scale usually takes huge amounts of water, fertilizer and energy, making agriculture a major source of carbon and other pollutants. But Kernza... (10/18/2021)