[.ca] The Future of Us All: Race and Neighborhood Politics in ... (ISBN 0801484618)

The Making of an Urban Neighborhood:
I had the pleasure of taking several classes taught by the author over 15 years ago when I was a college student. This book reminds me why he was such a special teacher. He goes inside the neighborhood (literally and figuratively) to seek the common ground which unites the many people of diverse backgrounds in the pursuit of the American Dream. I grew up in Queens in the 1960's and my wife grew up in Corona. We enjoyed the opportunity to recall the neighborhood as it was and to consider how and why it changed. This was a great book. It should be read by students of urban sociology everywhere.

A worthy perspective on urban politics:
Sanjek's book provides a wealth of information for anyone concerned (some would say mad) enough to understand how urban politics take their shape from individual events, groups and people. Although the sociology language has its discontents (events like the Colombian Independence Day festival become "rituals"), the perspective it brings speaks volumes of the impact of ethnicity. Sanjek shows how individuals overcame historic racial antipathy to recognize different people as, well, people. I certainly hope the future of us all does mean that we stop identifying ourselves as black, white or other and start recognizing ourselves as part of a local and very real community.