Streetwise: Race, Class, and Change in an Urban Community [Hardcover]

Elijah Anderson (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0226018156 | ISBN-13: 978-0226018157 | Publication Date: January 15, 1992 | Edition: 1

In a powerful, revealing portrait of city life, Anderson explores the dilemma of both blacks and whites, the underclass and the middle class, caught up in the new struggle not only for common ground—prime real estate in a racially changing neighborhood—but for shared moral community. Blacks and whites from a variety of backgrounds speak candidly about their lives, their differences, and their battle for viable communities.

"The sharpness of his observations and the simple clarity of his prose recommend his book far beyond an academic audience. Vivid, unflinching, finely observed, Streetwise is a powerful and intensely frightening picture of the inner city."—Tamar Jacoby, New York Times Book Review

"The book is without peer in the urban sociology literature. . . . A first-rate piece of social science, and a very good read."—Glenn C. Loury, Washington Times

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this ethnographic study of an anonymous Eastern urban community he calls Village-Northton, Anderson delineates the multifaceted elements that form a neighborhood in transition. Northton is predominantly black, its residents poor; Village is racially mixed, economically on the upswing with encroaching gentrification. Where the two communities meet, perhaps overlap, problems are similar for blacks and whites, for old-time residents and newcomers, particularly as services dwindle. The 10-year study addresses racial tension and the roots of alienation and fear through personal stories that emphasize a commonality of concerns about safe streets, housing and education. In this mosaic of urban life, Anderson, sociology professor at the University of Pennsylvania, offers insight for managers and developers of American cities.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Elijah Anderson is the William K. Lanman Professor of Sociology and the Director of the Yale Urban Ethnography Project at Yale University. He is the author of Code of the Street and Streetwise: Race, Class, and Change in an Urban Community, the latter published by the University of Chicago Press.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 283 pages
• Publisher: University Of Chicago Press; 1 edition (January 15, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0226018156
• ISBN-13: 978-0226018157
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #496,138 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

ELIJAH ANDERSON holds the William K. Lanman, Jr. Professorship in Sociology at Yale University, where he teaches and directs the Urban Ethnography Project. His prominent works include the award-winning books "Code of the Street" and "Streetwise," and 2011's "The Cosmopolitan Canopy." His writings have also appeared in The Atlantic, The Washington Post, and the New York Times Book Review. He lives in New Haven and Philadelphia.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars snapshots of the real american city, October 1, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Streetwise: Race, Class, and Change in an Urban Community (Paperback)

This book actually gets at the guts of the problem of social relations between blacks and whites. As gentrification becomes a larger problem in American cities, the economic prospects are shadowing the social issues that are swept under the rug by politicans. The reader gains a sense of the residents of northton and the village and hopefully will understand why we act like we do.(ignorant) Understand the power of this sociological masterpiece and it will bring to light what others do to protect their urban community.

7 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars To be safe, read this:, November 10, 2003

By 

Robert B. LIVINGSTON (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Streetwise: Race, Class, and Change in an Urban Community (Paperback)

Have you ever walked through a strange city neighborhood and have somebody ask you for the time?

Have you wondered, "What's their game?"

Have you wondered why there is little civility or dignity left in our cities?

Have you wondered why some young people feel that they can just grab what they covet, and even shoot someone down without hardly a thought?

What is going on?

Why are these disturbing trends getting worse... especially now that the so-called '90s boom is over?

In Streetwise, Dr. Anderson maps out the problems besetting our cities in America--

and explains for all of us what the social, political, and economic exclusion of our poorest entails.

1 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Streetwise, August 14, 2009

By 

William Pierce "wpierce133" (Houston TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Streetwise: Race, Class, and Change in an Urban Community (Paperback)

Recieved the book in a very timely manner. It came in a better-than-expected state for being used. I have done business with betterworldbooks before to buy used books and haven't been let down yet. 5 star business