What to Read: Pulitzer Prize-winning sociologist Matthew Desmond takes a crack at explaining Why Poverty Persists in America (NYT Gift Article). “There are, it would seem, deeper structural forces at play, ones that have to do with the way the American poor are routinely taken advantage of. The primary reason for our stalled progress on poverty reduction has to do with the fact that we have not confronted the unrelenting exploitation of the poor in the labor, housing and financial markets.”

+ What to Watch: It’s described as “an extraordinary tale of a mother’s love for her daughter that explores a dysfunctional family on the fringes of society, attempting to go straight in a crooked world.” It’s also a comedy. A dark one. And so far, a very promising one. Check out HBO’s Rain Dogs.