Code of the Street: Decency, Violence, and the Moral Life of the Inner City by Elijah Anderson Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Code of the Street: Decency, Violence, and the Moral Life of the Inner City
Book Review: Code of the Street
Summary: 5 Stars
This book in my opinion should be required text for any sociology class dealing with the issues of class, race, cities and violence. I found this book while i was searching for books to write my undergraduate thesis. This book paired with a book by Carl Upchurch was the main focus and content of my thesis. i am currentlly using this book for my masters thesis. This book describes life in Philly but once you get into it, it could be any mid-sized city in America. It highlights the struggles that todays youth go through on a daily basis to be either "decent" or "street" and unfortunatly at times the line between the two isn't clear and everyone is lumped as "street". Hands down one of the best books i've read on the subject.Book Review: Decency v. Street
Summary: 5 Stars
Understanding the "Code of the Street" will help you understand the unwritten set of rules that govern life in inner city Philadelphia. Elijah Anderson shows the contrast between decent families and street families. You come to understand why violence and death become a way of life for teens. A must read for anyone working with today's teens across the country, especially anyone working with Juvenile offenders.Book Review: Code of the Street
Summary: 5 Stars
This book should be on the required reading list for any practitioner in the system, especially those who work in the fields of criminal justice and social services.
In this very real, very hard hitting account of what happens to generations of people who feel disconnected from the dominant society in which they live, we are given a view of what motivates some of them to continue their lifestyles.
Dr.Anderson's account of the code of the street, does not only include teens, but also, everyone in the community.
I found the concept of "code switching", as well as his personal interviews with both teens and adults, fascinating.
I especially enjoyed his accounts of the day to day lives of several individuals and how they handled their ever growing problems.
All in all, I found the book hard to put down, once I began to read it.
I found that throughout the entire book, Dr. Anderson was always aware that there are no simple answers to the big questions. However, in spite of how dire the situation appears in the inner cities, he does offer some suggestions and hope.
Book Review: Insightful but Drawn Out at Times
Summary: 4 Stars
If I had to choose one word in regards to "Code of the Street" it would (without a doubt) be "insightful." Elijah Anderson did a particularly good job of introducing "characters" found in the inner city. Though his philosophy focuses primarily on those people from Germantown (in philadelphia), they can be recognized in any American inner city. Coming from the suburbs of an inner city, the book was particularly eye-opening, allowing me to understand further the class structure of the city. The detailed descriptions of "decent," "street," and "code-switching" cultures were extremely valuable. I also enjoyed reading further about the prominence of "black inner-city grandmothers" and their role in the family. Knowing a close family friend in such similar circumstances as described in the book made this even more interesting to read about. Also, because drug abuse has become such a prominent issue in America during recent years, my other favorite section of the book regarded the underground economy of drug dealers.
Another very wonderful thing about this book are the intimate personal stories placed throughout the book. Elijah Anderson did a very good job of interviewing people from the streets, and finding those in similar situations to those presented in his book. These stories made the book all the more understandable and real.
If there was one problem I could pinpoint, it would definitely be redundance in Elijah Anderson's writing. The information provided was extremely descriptive, sometimes becoming repetitive or drawn out in several cases. This, however, did not by any means overshadow the quality of the insight.
Book Review:
Summary: 5 Stars
This book should be mandatory reading for anyone working in urban areas. Actually it should be on everyone's "must read list." The insights are remarkably enlightening. Even thought the book was written by a college professor and is academic in nature it is a terrific read.