More than Just Race: Being Black and Poor in the Inner City (Issues of Our Time)

More than Just Race: Being Black and Poor in the Inner City (Issues of Our Time) [William Julius Wilson] on leondumoulin.nl *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers.
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Arrived in great condition. The book was very easy to read. Explains what it is like being a black man, living in the inner city. Great read for anyone. Explains the evolution of African-American culture until present day from the perspective of a man who lived through it.

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Just a thorough explanation of the struggles faced by black men in America and how to overcome it. One person found this helpful. I had to get this book for a course and it was great. The topics were very important and good to read about. Amazing social science and research. Should be required reading for everyone. A good read for political science or urban studies students. I got this book for class but i thoroughly enjoyed it.

The title says a lot and maybe too much. Either condition results in the same issues; either Black or Poor in the inner city. A book for school See all 39 reviews. Most recent customer reviews. May 15, Allison rated it really liked it. This is a good review of the relevant literature on structural factors that result in the reproduction of inequality in urban poor neighborhoods.

I found the chapters on concentrated poverty and joblessness particularly useful, and this would be a quick read if you're interested in learning more about the political history behind segregated neighborhoods. However, the analysis of "cultural factors" that contribute to inequality was weak throughout the text Wilson says this himself. Additionall This is a good review of the relevant literature on structural factors that result in the reproduction of inequality in urban poor neighborhoods.

Additionally, the chapter on "the fragmentation of the poor black family" struck me as dated. It almost completely ignored the work of gender scholars who study family a pretty big omission if you ask me , and leaned heavily on a cultural analysis while neglecting to analyze many of the structural factors that feminists would have identified. Mar 26, Joan rated it liked it Recommends it for: More than Just Race is William Julius Wilson's attempt to sift through the numbers of studies of the inner-city black poor and assess which studies can aid in the framework in which we think about the issue.

His primary thesis states that while structural forces are the primary cause of inner-city black poverty, it is necessary to also examine cultural forces that have arisen, over generations, due to the structural forces. I have never read the Moynihan report myself, but Wilson's analysis is compelling, and in fact he believes the Report was not solely "blaming the victim" as academics have painted it for decades.

The history he outlines following the release of the Report is exceptionally interesting: Wilson proposes a different approach which comes off as much less defensive and more realistic than either the classic left-wing solely structural or the right-wing solely cultural arguments. It was interesting, and unfortunate to find out that this area has actually not been studied very much, but he works with the few studies that exist.

Several of the studies he cites for structural and cultural points were new to me and quite interesting, including and these are grossly summarized: Low-skilled women suffered greatly when the only good-paying jobs were in manufacturing because they were perceived as unfit. The growth of service sector employment has been a boon to low-skilled women's employment in many ways because women are seen as hospitable and friendly.

Both of these, the relative under-employment of qualified women in manufacturing and later the relative over-employment of women in the service sector, are discriminatory, of course, and disgusting in that they rely on stereotypes about gender. Interestingly, and this is obvious even though I had never thought about it before, the exact opposite shift happened for low-skilled black men due to discriminatory and disgusting stereotypes about gender and race. Low-skilled black men were seen as exceptionally capable of low-skilled manufacturing and were perhaps over-employed, excluding women?

I'm not suggesting low-skilled women and men are pitted against one another, simply that the stereotypes should be questioned in both instances and both groups should also think about their relative over-employment in certain sectors due to stereotypes seen as positive attributes in those sectors. All in all, it was a good book, but I wouldn't go so far as to say it is required reading unless you are doing academic research on this type of thing.

Jun 18, James Murphy rated it liked it. In recent months I've read 2 works on race in America by Shelby Steele: A New Vision of Race in America. Wilson's book sees the problem differently. His concern is the continuing existence of inner-city ghettoes, the oppressive marginalization of black males, and the general breakup of black families. Where Steele attributed racially charged social problems to black cultural In recent months I've read 2 works on race in America by Shelby Steele: Where Steele attributed racially charged social problems to black cultural characteristics, Wilson, while acknowledging those characteristics, finds more fault with what he calls structural causes such as employer discrimination, public school segregation, the policy of settling the urban poor in housing projects which ultimately segregate, and other political and economic decisions that overshadow cultural factors.

Wilson has his facts and figures, but he presents them in such a dry, statistical manner that they lose their punch. He lacks Steele's verbal eloquence so his argument, though sound, is less interesting. Lots of good research presented but it is at times so densely academic and prescribed as to make its conclusions hard to broadly apply across many scenarios.

If I were conducting a research study in sociology, I would have found this book invaluable. May 31, Aida rated it really liked it. In order to support this, Wilson separates his key points fo Note: Wilson tells that this means that it is simply the fact that families have weak job-related skills, low awareness of and concern that the local environment where their children are growing up will affect their development, and other unfavorable aspects cause them to choose poor neighborhoods Wilson But he does respond to a study that seemingly proved that the self-selection bias was a solid argument.

This experiment was the Moving to Opportunity MTO experiment which was performed between and What occurred was the U.

More than Just Race

Department of Housing and Development HUD gave out housing vouchers to families living in high poverty, in five different cities. In these cities, they were put in three different groups randomly, and each one had a different form of housing change. What Wilson points out about the study is that there were serious problems in the way the experiment was set up.

Pointing out these issues, he provides logical reasons that any reader could agree with. He notes that the way the voucher worked, people could move into areas that in actuality were very similar to the ones they previously lived in, negating the effects of moving. The idea seems sound, and to bolster the argument, he brings in another sociologist, Robert Sampson, who analyzed a group of MTO from one of the cities and found that the neighborhoods the people chose to move to were still poorer than an integrated neighborhood, because they chose predominantly black neighborhoods Wilson So it is clear that not only is Wilson making a point against the MTO experiment, but he has back up to agree with him.


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Wilson does this throughout the book when he intends to prove why an argument that opposes him is incorrect. When he tries to support the Gautreaux experiment over the MTO experiment, his support mainly comes from the fact that he has already noted the key flaws of the MTO experiment that the Gautreaux experiment did not have.

This difference underscores the point he made about the families moving into black neighborhoods instead of white ones. Moving into a white neighborhood automatically takes the families out of a more impoverished environment. If the MTO experiment had required them to move into a white experiment, then perhaps Wilson would have less ground to stand on, but as it Wilson clarifies it, the MTO experiment is flawed. In Chapter 3, Wilson is discussing black males specifically, and why they are having such a hard time surviving in the economy.

As Wilson does throughout the book, he separates his main arguments between structural and cultural factors. Patterson decided to look at culture again, and asked some specific questions about poor black men, and worked to answer them. He also does not particularly agree with the cool-pose culture as the direct explanation of young black male risky behavior. After bringing this up, Wilson suggests a counterargument that reinforces his preference towards structure dictating culture: In this case, because Patterson does believe that cultural explanations should be a part of the discussion, Wilson is more accepting of his information and less willing to completely cut it apart because it does allow him to build off of and make a point about culture.

In Chapter 4, Wilson looks at the poor black family.

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However, Wilson never informs the reader directly how this study was conducted. But Wilson never identifies the team that assisted with the interviews, explains how the interviews were performed, or any notable details about the interviews. Nor does he acknowledge that the way these interviews were conducted could have affected the responses provided, or how they dealt with that potential error. Especially considering the fact that he had the resources available to him and was the director of the entire study, this aspect of a study is definitely something he should know and be clear on and able to elucidate to the reader.

This information is necessary because Wilson spends a good portion of Chapter 4 discussing the opinions of black women of black men and vice versa and then compares them to those of Latinos and then draws conclusions on how this could affect the marriage rates and family of black people. Although, Wilson does use outside sources to help support his points.


  • .
  • Cooking Up Trouble.
  • Being Black and Poor in the Inner City.
  • More than Just Race: Being Black and Poor in the Inner City by William Julius Wilson.
  • Pelagianism, Semi-Pelagianism & Augustinianism.
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  • Physiology by Numbers: An Encouragement to Quantitative Thinking.

    • He brings in a professor of Sociology, Frank Furstenberg who has been studying respondents in the inner city on fathering for years. Furstenberg agrees that there may be less pressure being exerted on men for them to be a part of the family, in contrast to how this used to be Wilson Wilson made several connections with readings, but one of them in specific was research performed by Devah Pager, published on Discrimination in a Low-Wage Market: This experiment noted how a black applicant with a clean record was still less likely to be called back for a job than a white applicant with a felony conviction.

    Wilson uses this to underscore the fact that there is statistical discrimination against black workers. While he neglects to provide certain details on pieces of information, and does not seem to bring up an argument against his own that he cannot shoot down, all of his information is well-sourced, and each source seems to be coming from respectable groups or people.

    Jun 25, Histteach24 rated it liked it. We purchased this book for a new high school elective "Race, Class, and Gender". In framing curriculum, we wanted students to understand that we were exploring these three themes through U. There is often a balance, as many students take the class with motives that don't align to the course's original intent.

    Much I guess of what they see at first comes naturally from first hand experience, stereotypes, and maybe even from a "cultural" lens. The structural is what is still left to be We purchased this book for a new high school elective "Race, Class, and Gender".

    The structural is what is still left to be understood and often times why an educational course is much needed and popular among peers through word of mouth. This book illustrates the need to balance cultural framework with structural to move forward and bring about change. A concept that brings balance to the course's intent. From an educational perspective, this book is high level reading and may be one that students with low reading levels struggle with.

    The topics explored must be done in chucks possibly, with supplemental materials. Sep 12, Monique rated it really liked it Shelves: The government has created barriers: This book is one of those rare books that is able to be cold headed -ly clear for an issue as hot as this, and its good so.


    • More than Just Race: Being Black and Poor in the Inner City.
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      • I truly Appreciate his effort to make it as balanced as possible, because I know that every emotion and every anger shown is actually counter productive for what is needed to get things done. I appreciate also the fact that he speaks of both structural and cultural problem, not turning a blind eye to one or the other, showing true wisdom and maturity. This book is great for This book is one of those rare books that is able to be cold headed -ly clear for an issue as hot as this, and its good so. This book is great for those who need a thorough introduction of the academic works that are out there on race.

      Well worth the read, but don't expect it to be exciting. Its not meant to be. Sep 06, Caity Gill rated it liked it. But I wish it was more up to date info. Also, I found the writing style very hard to connect with. Sep 19, Martyn rated it really liked it. Feb 27, Heather rated it liked it Shelves: This is a more scholarly treatment, so it's not as accessible to the average reader. It is a worthwhile addition to the dialogue, though. I think the strength of this book is that Wilson examines both structural and cultural explanations for the over-representation of things like poverty and unemployment in the black community.

      He explains how they feed on each other and why it's important to look at issues with both viewpoints in mind. He references a lot of important studies and highlights are This is a more scholarly treatment, so it's not as accessible to the average reader. He references a lot of important studies and highlights areas where more research is needed. Oct 27, AJ P rated it liked it Shelves: This book was about the interaction of structural and cultural aspects of race and poverty in the US, and examined why poor mostly black Americans are at such a disadvantage.

      The author claims, and I agree, that the structure of society physically, psychologically, and socially puts blacks at a disadvantage much more than any cultural aspects, and indeed that many of the cultural aspects are probably outgrowths of ways to deal with structural disadvantage. The wuthor focuses on two main item This book was about the interaction of structural and cultural aspects of race and poverty in the US, and examined why poor mostly black Americans are at such a disadvantage.

      The wuthor focuses on two main items - the marginalization of black males in the work force, and the fragmentation of the poor black family. It's an interesting read, but is quite dry and academic. It's also very much a literature review and does not add much original research or conclusion to the discussion, though the author does use his own research in Chicago in the 80s quite heavily for evidence.

      Often, the book read more like an "My research is superior and right, while others do not approach the topic in the right way", though I do think the author had a lot of support for his conclusions, even if he favored his own research over others. He also didn't give much credence to views that culture has a lot to do with the continued impoverishment of black families, which makes sense, but he does claim that it plays a role and must be considered in honest discourse, which many academics are loathe to do. The conclusion is that the structural aspects of society must be addressed first and foremost, because that it what will make a difference, which I completely agree with - but it's also a very hard problem to solve and takes a lot of political and social will.

      Aug 22, Kirk E. Miller rated it really liked it. Thesis - "The experience of poor, inner-city blacks represent the influences of more than just race. Arguments based on culture tend to be taboo for them. The politically conservative tend to focus on in Good. The politically conservative tend to focus on individual responsibility and cultural realities to the neglect of prevailing structural realities built into America's history of racial tension and segregation. Both of these approaches are inadequate. Wilson's assessment - Wilson addresses both structural and cultural realities and discusses the relationship between the two as he seeks to assess the situation of the inner-city poor black community in America.

      On structural realities relationship to culture, he states, "Culture mediates the impact of structural forces such as racial segregation and poverty. Jul 26, Sam rated it it was ok Recommended to Sam by: I really wanted to like this book. I loved the way he started by emphasizing that we need to look at structural and cultural causes of poverty together, not in isolation as liberals structural and conservatives cultural tend to do. I am even willing to consider his point that structural causes are more foundational than cultural causes, although as a conservative I would definitely take more convincing.