From Publishers Weekly
Last year marked the 50th anniversary of behavioral scientist Whyte's first, and arguably his most important work, Street Corner Society . The study of the social organization of Boston's North End, at the time a largely Italian slum, was a perfect example of what Whyte meant by participant observer. For three years Whyte, then a Harvard junior fellow, lived and worked in the community, even bringing his new wife to live in a icy flat in the neighborhood. Whyte would subsequently move on to examine industrial organization and labor management in various companies, but soon after transferring to Cornell, his focus shifted to South and Central America, working with industries and rural workers' cooperatives in Venezuela, Peru, Guatemala and other countries. Whyte's straightforward, slightly stilted prose combines with an engaging modesty ("I like to think that my more relaxed senior year helped humanize a too rigid and self-righteous Bill Whyte") to make for an enjoyable record of his early life, but unfortunately he loses focus in accounts of later undertakings, bogging them down in details of who was involved and which acronyms were doing the funding. Most readers will find themselves wanting more about findings, results and Whyte's personal experiences.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
From Library Journal
Few would deny that modern industrial sociology began with Whyte. Few also realize that the growth and development of this academic field have much to do with the life of its inventor. In his autobiography, Whyte describes how his life influenced his theories, especially his belief that a researcher must be a direct participant in what he or she examines. His voice is colloquial and unhampered with sociological jargon. At times, the microscopic reporting of the details of his life gets in the way of his grander experiences, yet this is a minor criticism. This book can be read simply as the autobiography of an interesting life or a well-written examination of a scholar's influence on an important branch of modern sociology. Recommended for public and academic libraries.
Glenn Masuchika, Chaminade Univ. Lib., HonoluluCopyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
