A nation divided : diversity, inequality, and community in American society /

This splendid book addresses what more than a few sociologists consider the most urgent problem facing this country today: the social and economic realities that characterize the lives of different groups of people and, most importantly, the "durable inequalities" that persist over time and make breaking out of old patterns difficult, if not impossible. The almost uniformly first-rate writing in this volume is divided into four sections. The first, "Diversity and Inequality," includes a wonderfully lucid chapter by Melvin L. Kohn countering The Bell Curve. The well-argued, carefully documented chapters in the second part look at race and ethnicity and socioeconomic inequality. Part 3 looks at inequality in educational, military, religious, and familial institutions and in the mass media. The book concludes with approaches to "intergroup tensions." Those not familiar with the terminology of sociology may have trouble with this volume, which is otherwise very highly recommended for academic, research, and larger public libraries.ÄEllen Gilbert, Rutgers Univ. Lib., New Brunswick, NJ (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.