"A richly detailed and highly compassionate ethnographic study of a core group of black men who daily frequent Valois, a cafeteria in Chicago's Hyde Park." —A. Javier Treviño, Humanity & SocietyAt the Valois "See Your Food" cafeteria on Chicago's South Side, black and white men gather over cups of coffee and steam-table food. Mitchell Duneier, a sociologist, spent four years at the Valois writing this moving profile of the black men who congregate at "Slim...

Urban ethnography is the firsthand study of city life by investigators who immerse themselves in the worlds of the people about whom they write. Since its inception in the early twentieth century, this great tradition has helped define how we think about cities and city dwellers. The past few decades have seen an extraordinary revival in the field, as scholars and the public at large grapple with the increasingly complex and pressing issues that affect the ever-changing American city-from ...

A "stunningly detailed and timely" account of the idea of the ghetto from its origins in sixteenth century Venice and its revival by the Nazis to the present (Khalil Gibran Muhammad, The New York Times Book Review).In Ghetto, Mitchell Duneier shows how the entanglements of race, poverty, and place in America are connected to the ghettos of Europe. He traces the evolution of the ghetto—as both concept and reality—through the stories of scholars and ...

On March 29, 1516, the city council of Venice issued a decree forcing Jews to live in il geto―a closed quarter named for the copper foundry that once occupied the area. The term stuck.In this sweeping and original interpretation, Mitchell Duneier traces the idea of the ghetto from its beginnings in the sixteenth century and its revival by the Nazis to the present. As Duneier shows, we cannot understand the entanglements of race, poverty, and place in America today without ...

Passionate, independent-minded nonfiction from the international bestselling author of ‘The Corrections’.Jonathan Franzen's ‘Freedom’ was the literary sensation of 2010, whilst ‘The Corrections’ was the best-loved and most written-about novel the previous decade. ‘How to be Alone’, is a collection of the personal essays and painstaking, often humorous reportage that have earned Franzen a wide and loyal readership, including what has come to be known as 'The Harper's Essay', Franzen...

In 1950, only 22% of adults were single. Today, more than 50% of adults are. Though conventional wisdom tells us that living by oneself leads to loneliness and isolation, most solo dwellers - compared with their married counterparts - are more likely to eat out and exercise, sign up for art and music classes, attend public events and lectures, and volunteer.Drawing on over three hundred in-depth interviews with men and women of all ages and from across every class, Eric Klinenberg ...

Essential reading for our times, as women are pulling together to demand their rights— A landmark portrait of women, men, and power in a transformed world.“Anchored by data and aromatized by anecdotes, [Rosin] concludes that women are gaining the upper hand." –The Washington PostMen have been the dominant sex since, well, the dawn of mankind. But Hanna Rosin was the first to notice that this long-held truth is, astonishingly, no lo...

From a bestselling author and Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist, a scathing polemic against the spectacle-obsessed culture that has taken over American life.**“A trenchantly argued critique of the near-destruction of the American Dream by unfettered capitalism.” —**Philadelphia InquirerAn instant bestseller, Chris Hedges’s Empire of Illusion is one of the most striking and unsettling explorations of illusion and fantasy in...

Why do Internet, financial service, and beer commercials dominate Super Bowl advertising? How do political ceremonies establish authority? Why does repetition characterize anthems and ritual speech? Why were circular forms favored for public festivals during the French Revolution? This book answers these questions using a single concept: common knowledge.Game theory shows that in order to coordinate its actions, a group of people must form "common knowledge." Each person wants to p...

"Fascinating..provocative and funny." -- Contax GuideThere has never been a better time to show the world - both gay and nongay - the depth and breadth of the people, the history, and the communities that have been created by gay men and lesbians.Out in All Directions presents a broad picture of the myriad cultures and achievements of gay people in society at large. Every chapter uncovers history, illuminates gay and lesbian life, explodes myths, and breaks n...

A provocative and timely collection of essays from a celebrated cultural critic on race, diversity, and resegregation."The Smartest Book of the Year" ( The Washington Post)In these provocative, powerful essays acclaimed writer/journalist Jeff Chang ( Can't Stop Won't Stop, Who We Be) takes an incisive and wide-ranging look at the recent tragedies and widespread protests that have shaken the country. Through deep reporting w...

An in-depth look at America's changing gay neighborhoodsGay neighborhoods, like the legendary Castro District in San Francisco and New York's Greenwich Village, have long provided sexual minorities with safe havens in an often unsafe world. But as our society increasingly accepts gays and lesbians into the mainstream, are "gayborhoods" destined to disappear? Amin Ghaziani provides an incisive look at the origins of these unique cultural enclaves, the reasons why the...