Customer Reviews

Ain't No Makin' It: Aspirations and Attainment in a Low-Income Neighborhood, Second Edition with a New Foreword by Joe Feagin

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I read this years ago in an anthropology/sociology class in college, and I can say that it still carries as much weight today as it did then. Jay manages to weave entertaining narration with factual reporting, resulting in a moving work that points a critical finger at our society. I've actually met the author, and can say that he is an honest, engaging and professional writer. At no point did he milk the drama angle of this work, nor use it to further his own agenda. I noticed another reviewer called this book "socialist junk"; to this person I say: just because this work is a testament to some of the failures of America's precious capitalist model does not immediately make it socialist. Moreover, if socialism means having a conscience about racism and socioeconomic discrimination, then sign me up!

This book gives an excellent insight into the lives of teenagers living in a low-income neighborhood. The book calls into question the American achievement ideology and forces the reader to reconsider his or her pre-concieved notions on poverty and its causes. The truth is that people aren't poor because they are lazy; they are poor because of numberous structural barriers in society that basicly trap them into poverty. This book is excellent for anyone interested in the social structure, but it would be better for someone who has never thought about the way society works and has the kind of closed-mindedness that cause many upper and middle-class people to view people of lesser social standing as lazy.

This book provides a thorough account of the aspirations and expectations of two male peer groups residing in a public housing project. Both peer groups, although originating from similar class locations, have distinct aspirations resulting from their racial lived experiences. The peer group consisting mostly of young black men (The Brothers) supported the achievement ideology that we live in an open society. They viewed the hardships faced by previous generations was a result of racial discrimination barriers that (theoretically) cease to exist. They applied themselves in socially acceptable practices such as excelling in school and keeping out of trouble. In contrast, the peer group consisting of mostly young white men (Hallway Hangers) rejected the achievement ideology and had low aspirations of their position in the labor market. They realized through family and friends that their chances of getting out of the projects is slim leading most of the Hallway Hangers dropped out of school and smoked dope, among other illegal activities. Despite the disjuncture of both groups' levels of aspirations, both failed to get out of poverty. MacLeod hung out with both of these male peer groups in an effort to understand their daily meanings of the role of education and their future aspirations rather than relying exclusively on statistical data.

I give this book four stars because MacLeod failed to take into consideration the aspirations and expectations of young women. Instead he concentrated solely on the role of race and class. I would recommend this book to anyone who wishes to understand how societal structures restrict and limit the actions of individuals. Furthermore this book challenges the myth that education creates a level playing field for all regardless of race or class (and gender too ~ although not addressed here).

This book explores the lives of two groups of inner-city teenagers. One group adamently believes in the achievement ideology, and the other group rejects it. Hence the title, the outcome for both groups is the same. I recommend this book to those who refuse to cast away their pre-conceived notions that those who live in poverty are lazy and stupid. This book is a painfully real account of the different ways in which society plays a detrimental role in the lives of the less fortunate, while allowing the upper class to place the blame on the victims themselves (in the name of the acheivement ideology).

This book does a great job of investigating class structure in America by taking out the issue of race. The book explores urban poverty from both the White and Black perspective which allows students to engage the topic without adding the additional complexity of race. White urban poverty is not a topic that is often explored so this is an eyeopening book for many students.

I read this book from cover to cover (which, in its current edition, is quite some doing) and was absorbed by the reality of the stories all the way through. It's not always the easiest book to read, but the fact that the author really immersed himself in the lives and world of his subjects for several years, seeking to truly understand them, is evident on every page. Tracking two groups of lower-class men from 'the projects' (one black and one white) for more than twenty-five years, the book remains the gold standard for exploring the issue of social mobility over the life course in the United States. That the original edition was written before the author even graduated from college, and that he went on to a career as a parish priest instead of an academic sociologist, makes it all the more impressive.

The author does have his own biases, but he never draws conclusions that aren't supported by the evidence. And the evidence is overwhelming: it usually takes more than a 'good attitude' or a 'strong work ethic' to get ahead in America. It also takes many of the substantive and symbolic resources that middle-class children take for granted, yet middle-class parents are careful to pass down to them. Meanwhile, the mistakes and poor choices that middle-class youth easily overcome can be devastating for poor youth, starting a downward spiral from which it is very difficult to recover. Lastly, this book describes in vivid detail what all the statistics report: that, on average, poor black children have more ambition than poor white children. It isn't for lack of *wanting* the American dream of a middle-class life and a willingness to play by the rules; it's the lack of other things which MacLeod discusses: inside connections to good jobs, mentoring and sponsorship, and frankly, in some cases the 'right' skin color. Yes, racism is alive and well among U.S. employers, especially those hiring entry-level employees in major metro areas. Ironically, the 'Brothers' refuse to see this racism as an obstacle, choosing instead to blame themselves for their failings -- thus we cannot explain their disappointing outcomes in terms of a 'victim mentality.' Meanwhile, the white 'Hallway Hangers' frequently resort to racist explanations for their own inability to get or keep a job. It's the white subjects who claim racial victimhood, not the black ones.

By midlife many of these men, black and white alike, are struggling personally and professionally. And yet most are persevering, one way or another. And there are some exceptional cases too, where an individual has 'made it' into the middle class. But they are the exceptions that prove the rule, and the rule is this: where you finish depends a lot on where you start. It's certainly possible to rise up out of poverty, but it's certainly not likely -- for reasons that have as much to do with unsupportive (or even opposing) social structures as they do with individual (in)action and choices. Mainstream culture is no help, either. It's not that most of us hate the poor, it's just that we fear them, misunderstand them, have no patience for them, or prefer them less than the more affluent (people more like us).

This book isn't a 'liberal' book, even though its author's own political agenda is clearly identifiable as such. He doesn't pull any punches; he holds his subjects accountable for their actions, whether positive or negative. Yet he does so with gracious humanity, possibly because of his calling as a minister of the gospel. I wish that every conservative would read this book, and could do so with an open mind. How often do we speak of people we know so little about? At the same time, I wish that every liberal would read it, too, and acknowledge that capitalism has a vital role to play in developing poor people's lives and communities. Although the author didn't emphasize its significance, I took note of the fact that the real standouts in the book are both successful as self-employed entrepreneurs. Liberals should welcome business education and entrepreneurship as a more effective and efficient path out of poverty than any number of government programs. Poor people -- especially poor men -- need more steady well-paying jobs, to be sure, but we need to stop thinking of them exclusively or even primarily as job-holders and start seeing them also as job-creators.

Quite an excellent ethnography done by Jay MacLeod. Very thorough although repetitive at times. (That's just my opinion. Others may certainly disagree.) I liked the fact that this edition covers the experiences of the men for two decades.

When I was in college, I read several chapters of Ain't No Makin It as assigned reading for a sociology class. Years later, I came back to the book because I had frequently thought of it and wanted to reread it. Not only is the study enlightening, the writing is clear, insightful and elegant. MacLeod makes highly intelligent arguments without using pretentious language. His sense of metaphor is lovely, always helpful, and never a stretch. Overall, it is a humble body of work from someone who has every right to toot his own horn.

The item arrived on time and although I ordered with only two weeks before my class started, I was able to carry the book with me on the very first day.

This book is not rubbish. Yes it is slightly propagandistic on the part of "socialism" (though I agree with the views of a previous reviewer), though if you'd seen this type of poverty and social immobility in a FIRST WORLD COUNTRY you'd want to do the same thing. If you read this book and come out with the view that "they should have worked harder", then I believe you are only accepting the view that these people projected onto you. THEY believe they won't make it, so they don't do any work. Also to these Calvinists, maybe you'd like to do a little research of your own into the US education system, especially concentrating on the amount spent on these individuals. They say segregation is dead in the US, it's just gone underground (I'm including "involuntary minorities" eg the Hallway Hangers).