Poverty is on the rise, especially since the 2008 economic meltdown. Riots and urban insurrections are also on the rise, and are becoming increasingly confrontational and intense. Why Don't the Poor Rise Up? asks why the former hasn't led to more of the latter, and discusses how that can - and is likely to - change within the coming years. It is a vibrant collection of essays about the ways in which the poor are defined, the ways they resist, and the obstacles to that resistance both expanding and succeeding.