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gertymac 's review for:
American Apartheid: Segregation and the Making of the Underclass
by Douglas S. Massey, Nancy A. Denton
Well, I thought I was ready to go back to reading nonfiction in my post-graduate school days.
I was wrong. I was immediately transported back to the "holy shit, I have to read and understand every word of this so I can write a reaction paper and not look like a fool when we talk about it in class" head-space in which I spent several years. No me gusta.
But the book itself was great, much like I remembered the original chapter I read to be. The authors present residential segregation as the overlooked causal piece of racial inequality in the United States. They layout the timeline for residential segregation in the US, starting with post-Civil War era migration of recently freed slaves to the modern court cases that have shaped the enforcement of the Fair Housing Act. This part of the book is particularly strong. The way the authors tie together the systematic racism present in the fight for equal housing opportunities with the unintended consequences of other social and political policies is flawless. They make a strong case for residential segregation as the missing piece in the fight for civil rights.
What is not so strong about this book is its age. Written in 1993, and not updated since, the data is very dated. They didn't even have full 1990 Census results to use. There's been a lot of growth and change from the late 80s until now and I'd like to see Massey and Denton's argument applied to more updated figures on residential segregation and to the current economic and social climate. I'm shocked there isn't a more recent edition of this book.
For me, though, the best part of the book is a section called "Blame Enough for All". The authors pull no punches in openly blaming white hypocrisy and short sighted self-interest on the part of some black politicians and business owners for keeping the borders of the ghetto closed. I appreciate that Massey and Denton were willing to point out the guilt both sides have in perpetuating the ghetto. The book ends on a rather hopeful and instructive note. Massey and Denton lay out a step by step plan for "dismantling the ghetto". Only after the ghetto walls have been brought down can racial equality truly exist.
Overall, I enjoyed reading the book. At least I did once I pulled myself out of grad school panic mode. It was well written and the arguments were salient and important. If you've got an interest in the deliberate construction of racial inequality throughout United States history, this is a must read. Focus on the historical set up for the authors' arguments and breeze through the outdated presentation of the "contemporary" data.
Despite enjoying this book, I'm going to head back to fiction for my pleasure reading for awhile.
I was wrong. I was immediately transported back to the "holy shit, I have to read and understand every word of this so I can write a reaction paper and not look like a fool when we talk about it in class" head-space in which I spent several years. No me gusta.
But the book itself was great, much like I remembered the original chapter I read to be. The authors present residential segregation as the overlooked causal piece of racial inequality in the United States. They layout the timeline for residential segregation in the US, starting with post-Civil War era migration of recently freed slaves to the modern court cases that have shaped the enforcement of the Fair Housing Act. This part of the book is particularly strong. The way the authors tie together the systematic racism present in the fight for equal housing opportunities with the unintended consequences of other social and political policies is flawless. They make a strong case for residential segregation as the missing piece in the fight for civil rights.
What is not so strong about this book is its age. Written in 1993, and not updated since, the data is very dated. They didn't even have full 1990 Census results to use. There's been a lot of growth and change from the late 80s until now and I'd like to see Massey and Denton's argument applied to more updated figures on residential segregation and to the current economic and social climate. I'm shocked there isn't a more recent edition of this book.
For me, though, the best part of the book is a section called "Blame Enough for All". The authors pull no punches in openly blaming white hypocrisy and short sighted self-interest on the part of some black politicians and business owners for keeping the borders of the ghetto closed. I appreciate that Massey and Denton were willing to point out the guilt both sides have in perpetuating the ghetto. The book ends on a rather hopeful and instructive note. Massey and Denton lay out a step by step plan for "dismantling the ghetto". Only after the ghetto walls have been brought down can racial equality truly exist.
Overall, I enjoyed reading the book. At least I did once I pulled myself out of grad school panic mode. It was well written and the arguments were salient and important. If you've got an interest in the deliberate construction of racial inequality throughout United States history, this is a must read. Focus on the historical set up for the authors' arguments and breeze through the outdated presentation of the "contemporary" data.
Despite enjoying this book, I'm going to head back to fiction for my pleasure reading for awhile.