Unequal Childhoods: Class, Race, and Family Life | 
 enlarge | Author: Annette Lareau
Publisher: University of California Press
Category: Book
List Price: $21.95
Buy New: $14.26
You Save: $7.69 (35%)
New (24) Used (52) from $12.75
Avg. Customer Rating:  10 reviews
Sales Rank: 2043
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 343
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 8.8 x 6 x 1
ISBN: 0520239504
Dewey Decimal Number: 305.23
EAN: 9780520239500
ASIN: 0520239504
Publication Date: September 11, 2003
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: SHIPS from 5 locations based on your Zip Code and availability! (PA TN IN OR SC) *-* Gift Quality *-* Orders Processed Immediately! - We get your book to you Very Quickly! -L2355.26322
|
| Also Available In:
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Class does make a difference in the lives and futures of American children. Drawing on in-depth observations of black and white middle-class, working-class, and poor families, Unequal Childhoods explores this fact, offering a picture of childhood today. Here are the frenetic families managing their children's hectic schedules of "leisure" activities; and here are families with plenty of time but little economic security. Lareau shows how middle-class parents, whether black or white, engage in a process of "concerted cultivation" designed to draw out children's talents and skills, while working-class and poor families rely on "the accomplishment of natural growth," in which a child's development unfolds spontaneously--as long as basic comfort, food, and shelter are provided. Each of these approaches to childrearing brings its own benefits and its own drawbacks. In identifying and analyzing differences between the two, Lareau demonstrates the power, and limits, of social class in shaping the lives of America's children.
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 5 more reviews...
 Very interesting and readable June 11, 2008
Very interesting and readable book about childrearing differences in different social classes. As a parent, it reminded me that there are different ways to approach parenting, and that a particular way isn't necessarily "better" than the others. Observations and conclusions drawn seemed accurate for my situation. I appreciated her non-judgemental attitude. Only downside is that the actual fieldwork was conducted over 10 years ago - however, from my perspective it is still very relevant. I would recommend it.
Unequal Childhood Review December 7, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Lareau provides a very descriptive account of the social resources available to middle class, working class and poor families and children. A useful tool for teachers and administrators who wonder why some parents are not able to make it to PTA, parent/teacher conferences, sporting events, ect.
 great service August 4, 2007
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
I am a university student who purchased this textbook for a class. It came exactly as the seller said. I will use this service in the futute.
Unequal Childhoods Well Written and Well Researched July 10, 2006
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Everyone knows that socioeconomic status is related to academic success, but not many books have examined the lives of kids outside of school in detail to reveal how differences in social class are related to differences in use of language, organizing time, dealing with authorities, family disputes, and doing homework.
I'm a professor in a graduate school of education, and it was important to me that Lareau was a careful researcher as well as a clear and lively writer. She studied 12 families, each with a fourth-grade child. Half were white, half were black. Half were from low social positions, and half from relatively high social positions. Lareau found that the upper-middle class families deliberately stimlated their child's development and conveyed a sense of entitlement, whereas lower class families believed that kids matured "naturally" -- regardless of race. I found it so persuasive and well-written that I'm assigning it to my students.
"Unequal Childhoods" May 11, 2006
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I read this book for a class about the achievement gap. I really liked how this book examined the achievement gap from a socioeconomic point of view. Lareau's case studies of families from varying races and social classes made her research easy to read and interesting. Her analysis of two different parenting styles-concerted cultivation and theory of natural growth-points out the implications each style has on children's performance in school, their interactions with adults, and later success in searching for jobs/careers. This was a great read for school or just for fun.
|
|
|
