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mwatts168's review against another edition
5.0
Coming back write the review this book rightfully deserves.
I NEED EVERYONE TO READ THIS BOOK!!
Before I read this, I was aware of the impact a child's class has on them. However, Lareau brought so many new things to light and went DEEP beyond the surface. One of the most interesting discoveries of Lareau was the child rearing differences between upper-middle-class families and working class/low-income families. The middle-class children were raised with concerted cultivation which then creates the sense of entitlement in those kids. The WC kids were raised in an accomplishment of natural growth. She explains how institutions favor the middle-class rearing methods and reinforce inequalities. Lareau explains how schools are one of the worst at reinforces inequalities.
I saw a lot of her findings in my own life, which may have made this book more powerful. I live in a working-class family, and according to Lareau, my parents would use more directives rather than reasoning. The working class families establish a belief that clear boundary of "I am the parent, you are the child, and that doesn't change." She also explained how the differences in class and the value of education. The WC families saw education as a tool/ step while middle-class families see it with more value of learning.
Lareau also compares her findings to Pierre Bourdieu who found the differences in taste among classes which is another can of worms.
I NEED EVERYONE TO READ THIS BOOK!!
Before I read this, I was aware of the impact a child's class has on them. However, Lareau brought so many new things to light and went DEEP beyond the surface. One of the most interesting discoveries of Lareau was the child rearing differences between upper-middle-class families and working class/low-income families. The middle-class children were raised with concerted cultivation which then creates the sense of entitlement in those kids. The WC kids were raised in an accomplishment of natural growth. She explains how institutions favor the middle-class rearing methods and reinforce inequalities. Lareau explains how schools are one of the worst at reinforces inequalities.
I saw a lot of her findings in my own life, which may have made this book more powerful. I live in a working-class family, and according to Lareau, my parents would use more directives rather than reasoning. The working class families establish a belief that clear boundary of "I am the parent, you are the child, and that doesn't change." She also explained how the differences in class and the value of education. The WC families saw education as a tool/ step while middle-class families see it with more value of learning.
Lareau also compares her findings to Pierre Bourdieu who found the differences in taste among classes which is another can of worms.
selenajournal's review against another edition
4.0
through case studies with various lower, middle and upper class adolescents, lareau is able to point out the differences in our upbringing and ask the touchy questions that come with class and race differences. i liked how frank this book was about things. what is keeping it from being a five is that it is already out of date. she doesn't have information on technology and how that plays a part in our children's upbringing and i would dare say that things are worse now, in terms of the quality of the schools and the situations of the parents.
mcrawfordmiller's review against another edition
3.0
This book is an examination of the different methods of raising children employed by different classes. Read it for sociology. The field notes are great. I love pretty much anything about families, so I enjoyed reading this.
lilly295's review against another edition
4.0
I picked up and and put down this book for so many times and finally finished it yesterday, hooray!
As a future kindergarten teacher, I found this book extremely helpful to better understand how the social class shapes children's behaviour. Before reading the book, I did not tend to associate one's behaviour with one's family background, or if I did, it would often be judgemental and with prejudice. However, this book really helped me to re-adjust my attitude and make me more empathetic towards the children with inadequate resources.
Social class and families' cultural capital are rather fixed. When a child, growing up in a poor family, does not have the equal amount of resources, you cannot expect him/her to behave like children who have such resources. They may lack what we consider as "basic communication skills" or "basic learning skills", and teachers's "unrealistic expectations" and assessment standard may further perpetuate the vicious cycle.
It is difficult not to feel helpless when I was reading some of the chapters, you see children living under distress and there seems like nothing you can do, but at least I start to understand why children behave in certain ways, and children themselves are not the sole people to be blamed.
As a future kindergarten teacher, I found this book extremely helpful to better understand how the social class shapes children's behaviour. Before reading the book, I did not tend to associate one's behaviour with one's family background, or if I did, it would often be judgemental and with prejudice. However, this book really helped me to re-adjust my attitude and make me more empathetic towards the children with inadequate resources.
Social class and families' cultural capital are rather fixed. When a child, growing up in a poor family, does not have the equal amount of resources, you cannot expect him/her to behave like children who have such resources. They may lack what we consider as "basic communication skills" or "basic learning skills", and teachers's "unrealistic expectations" and assessment standard may further perpetuate the vicious cycle.
It is difficult not to feel helpless when I was reading some of the chapters, you see children living under distress and there seems like nothing you can do, but at least I start to understand why children behave in certain ways, and children themselves are not the sole people to be blamed.
amyrezende's review against another edition
4.0
read this for a class on low income families. lareau’s observations gave me valuable insight on the influences of social class on childrearing. personally, i came away from this book with a better understanding of and a newfound acceptance for my own upbringing.
mephistia's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed this. It was engaging, well-written and well-performed research. I liked that Lareau also acknowledges potential biases and the limitations of the study. I am impressed by the methodology and her findings that economic class has more of an impact on on upbringing than race, also (clearly) the disparate impact of race in our country does mean that people of color are disproportionately affected by the impacts of class discrimination and bias in addition to the reality of racially motivated discrimination.
While I thought her thesis, research, and conclusions were presented in a clear, even, and neutral tone, I did notice in the class discussion about the text that several of my classmates appeared to take personal issue with her research and conclusions -- a running theme was that she was "wrong" about this or that objective observation because it hadn't been like that in the students (name income type) family. Lareau's findings are examples of generalized information that largely hold true in broad populations -- however, they are generalized, and there are always exceptions to the rule. So if you read this book and think, "Oh, it's all bunk, my childhood wasn't like that!" -- that does not negate the validity of her research and findings.
Beyond the longitudinal research and follow-up interviews, Lareau also draws from a wealth of statistical and economic data to support her findings. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wishes to learn more about the long-term role of economic status on childrearing, adult income, and the reproduction of class systems in the United States.
While I thought her thesis, research, and conclusions were presented in a clear, even, and neutral tone, I did notice in the class discussion about the text that several of my classmates appeared to take personal issue with her research and conclusions -- a running theme was that she was "wrong" about this or that objective observation because it hadn't been like that in the students (name income type) family. Lareau's findings are examples of generalized information that largely hold true in broad populations -- however, they are generalized, and there are always exceptions to the rule. So if you read this book and think, "Oh, it's all bunk, my childhood wasn't like that!" -- that does not negate the validity of her research and findings.
Beyond the longitudinal research and follow-up interviews, Lareau also draws from a wealth of statistical and economic data to support her findings. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wishes to learn more about the long-term role of economic status on childrearing, adult income, and the reproduction of class systems in the United States.
bjohns86's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 - Interesting read...social structural location, class, race and child rearing