A review by maliaode
The Sociological Imagination by C. Wright Mills

4.0

I felt the most connected to the appendix of this text — weird feeling but still happy about its value. As for the main text, I felt a little disconnected and confused at times. Part of this was likely due to listening to the audiobook (at a higher speed, of course lol) and a disconnect from the historical/sociological context. Upon reading a synopsis after finishing, I realized that I understood the text fine but was expecting a deeper through-line that wasn’t really present. Thinking I had missed that imperative, I had a sense of unease that I wasn’t grasping the big picture as I digested. In reality, the main thrust is a concept I already hold fundamentally; the importance of the sociological imagination, aka the ability to think outside our individual selves and connect to communities around us, thinking more deeply and less short-sightedly (narrowly). The appendix was really what I loved, however. It gave great advice (that I strive to follow eventually lol) to create an informal portfolio of notes and ideas from engagement in the field. I’d like to apply that but will need to dedicate myself to the task since it takes an added layer of energy and commitment. I know it would be highly valuable and useful to reference for future work though.