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American Apartheid: Segregation and the Making of the Underclass by Douglas S. Massey, Nancy Denton
jedwardsusc's review against another edition
4.0
The authors assemble their statistics in a smart and compelling way to drive home the point about the prevalence and effects of racist housing policies that are still with us twenty years later. The chapter on "how to build a ghetto" was particularly hard to read.
Anyone seeking to understand the practical effects of systemic racism (or just get a handle on what "systemic racism" means) should absolutely read this book.
Anyone seeking to understand the practical effects of systemic racism (or just get a handle on what "systemic racism" means) should absolutely read this book.
sugy's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
slow-paced
3.5
Book itself is very informative and interesting. If you read about housing and segregation you’ll find much of the same info here. Points deducted for such dry and slow audio narration.
carolynf's review against another edition
4.0
The title sums it up. We have urban centers full of poor, angry/apathetic black people due to segregation that still exists today. Or at least in 1993, which is when this book came out, but I doubt that the situation is much changed.
The chronology presented is this... Back before the industrial era, there were very few black neighborhoods. Most African Americans lived in neighborhoods that were only about 10% black, and spent most of their days interacting with white people. But around 1900 white people decided that they'd rather have black people confined to ghettos. The reasons for this are not made entirely clear, as the author prefers to focus on modern day segregation. I think it is partly just because with improved transportation suddenly cities COULD have black people living in one area of town and emerging to be servants or laborers in another. 1900-1920 violent mobs attacks African Americans at random, and black people move into the ghettos to gain safety in numbers. Once the boundaries are established, neighborhood associations and real estate boards in white neighborhoods use restrictive covenants and deceitful sales tactics to keep cities segregated. This was aided by the federal government, which kept veteran loans and other benefits out of the hands of black Americans and avoided fair housing bills that might alienate constituents. The civil rights movement made it easier for some affluent black families to fight segregation on an individual basis, but certainly did not end it. One of the strengths of the book is the inclusion of many opinion polls taken from the 1940-1990s, demonstrating how the majority of white people are still made uncomfortable by even one or two black families moving into their neighborhood, and how black families still have a 1 in 4 chance of being lied to regarding available properties.
I do wish that this book had a newer edition, as this one is from 1993. But that is mostly so that it could include more up to date surveys and things. The main topic that I felt was lacking is gentrification, which is not mentioned at all. The author mentions that only people who are poor and black are willing to move into ghetto areas. Do white yuppies buy properties in different areas of the city than ghetto areas, or did was gentrification not a major trend in the 1990s? The section on "poverty culture" is a little difficult to process as well. The authors make the reasonable assertion that forcing poor black people to live in a neighborhood with only other poor black people is going to keep them from developing standard English, white workplace etiquette, and the connections to even find a job. His solution is to empower local fair housing associations and crack down on hate crimes against newcomers to previously white neighborhoods, so that those with the will and skills to leave the ghetto are more able to do so. This should definitely be done, but it is left unsaid how many people this would leave behind, and what the effect will be on those who are left.
The chronology presented is this... Back before the industrial era, there were very few black neighborhoods. Most African Americans lived in neighborhoods that were only about 10% black, and spent most of their days interacting with white people. But around 1900 white people decided that they'd rather have black people confined to ghettos. The reasons for this are not made entirely clear, as the author prefers to focus on modern day segregation. I think it is partly just because with improved transportation suddenly cities COULD have black people living in one area of town and emerging to be servants or laborers in another. 1900-1920 violent mobs attacks African Americans at random, and black people move into the ghettos to gain safety in numbers. Once the boundaries are established, neighborhood associations and real estate boards in white neighborhoods use restrictive covenants and deceitful sales tactics to keep cities segregated. This was aided by the federal government, which kept veteran loans and other benefits out of the hands of black Americans and avoided fair housing bills that might alienate constituents. The civil rights movement made it easier for some affluent black families to fight segregation on an individual basis, but certainly did not end it. One of the strengths of the book is the inclusion of many opinion polls taken from the 1940-1990s, demonstrating how the majority of white people are still made uncomfortable by even one or two black families moving into their neighborhood, and how black families still have a 1 in 4 chance of being lied to regarding available properties.
I do wish that this book had a newer edition, as this one is from 1993. But that is mostly so that it could include more up to date surveys and things. The main topic that I felt was lacking is gentrification, which is not mentioned at all. The author mentions that only people who are poor and black are willing to move into ghetto areas. Do white yuppies buy properties in different areas of the city than ghetto areas, or did was gentrification not a major trend in the 1990s? The section on "poverty culture" is a little difficult to process as well. The authors make the reasonable assertion that forcing poor black people to live in a neighborhood with only other poor black people is going to keep them from developing standard English, white workplace etiquette, and the connections to even find a job. His solution is to empower local fair housing associations and crack down on hate crimes against newcomers to previously white neighborhoods, so that those with the will and skills to leave the ghetto are more able to do so. This should definitely be done, but it is left unsaid how many people this would leave behind, and what the effect will be on those who are left.
amandacora's review against another edition
4.0
I found this book a very informative read. It offers many statistics about segregation that I found helpful in my understanding and complemented my reading of The Color of Law last year. However, it is 25 years old so I’m gonna have to find a book that touches on where we are now with segregation.
hed5aya's review against another edition
3.0
(2.7) The overall message of the book is a powerful one and how (white) America has segregated the poor and the rich and how it created the underclass. However, this book is very old and there are tons of better books on this subject that have done it better. I think for me the wording was very iffy, very outdated and borderline judgmental. Also I’m not sure in academia how the use of the n word goes (allowed or not) but a book with two white authors wrote it too much for me in my opinion. I was surprised there wasn’t much reviews on this but the reviews I saw explaining how amazing this book was doesn’t really surprise me.
jcp1009's review against another edition
4.0
A look at modern residential segregation, especially at the "white flight" from major urban areas. An important book that discusses how residential segregation is still so prevalent among us today.
maddiecarter1's review against another edition
3.25
Honestly, the book is a textbook. While full of important rhetoric like “the desegregation of residential America”...it is also riddled with academic language making it an extremely tough read.
I particularly liked the notes on coining the term “code switching” and the reinforcing points on Regans racist presidency (via the drug war and not properly funding the fair housing act).
I particularly liked the notes on coining the term “code switching” and the reinforcing points on Regans racist presidency (via the drug war and not properly funding the fair housing act).