Tag Archives: sociology

Manhood in the Making

Posted on November 18, 2017 by smellincoffee

Manhood in the Making: Cultural Concepts of Masculinity272 pages© David Gilmore 1991 What is it to “be a man”?  Manhood in the Making  reviews various ethnographic studies that focused on sex and gender roles, throughout the world.  In it, the … Continue reading →

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Dixie’s Forgotten People

Posted on March 12, 2016 by smellincoffee

Dixie’s Forgotten People: the South’s Poor Whites© 1979 Wayne Flynt200 pgs Just poor people is all we were, tryin’ to make a living out of black land dirt.. When Franklin Roosevelt referred to the forgotten man, he was likely thinking … Continue reading →

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Pedal to the Metal

Posted on August 6, 2015 by smellincoffee

Petal to the Metal: The Work Lives of Truckers© 1994 Lawrence Ouelett247 pages ICC is a-checkin’ on down the lineI’m a little overweight, and my logbook’s way behind But nothin’ bothers me tonight, I can dodge all the scales all … Continue reading →

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The Righteous Mind

Posted on August 26, 2013 by smellincoffee

The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion© 2013 Jonathan Haidt528 pages The Righteous Mind begins with a question, seriously posed: why  can’t we all get along? To find the answer, Jonathan Haidt delves into the … Continue reading →

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Read of England 2012

Posted on November 17, 2012 by smellincoffee

Last week, Britons celebrated or observed Guy Fawkes Night on 5 November, a date I usually try to do some English-themed reading around, just as I do readings for the Fourth of July and Bastille Day. This year’s reading consisted … Continue reading →

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The Great Good Place

Posted on June 24, 2012 by smellincoffee

The Great Good Place: Cafés, Coffee Shops, Bookstores, Bars, Hair Salons, and the Other Hangouts at the Heart of a Community© 1989 Ray Oldenburg336 pages In Our Oriental Heritage, Will Durant wrote that man is not willingly a political animal, … Continue reading →

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Bowling Alone

Posted on January 7, 2012 by smellincoffee

Bowling Alone: the Collapse and Revival of American Community© 2001 Robert D. Putnam544 pages Every so often I read a book that strikes my brain as lightening, forever altering my thinking and earning a permanent place both on my bedside … Continue reading →

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American Nerd

Posted on July 2, 2010 by smellincoffee

American Nerd: the Story of my People© 2008 Benjamin Nugent224 pages First in my class here at M.I.T / Got skills, I’m a champion at D&D M.C. Escher, that’s my favorite  MC Keep your forty, I’ll just have an Earl … Continue reading →

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The Road to Wigan Pier

Posted on March 21, 2010 by smellincoffee

The Road to Wigan Pier© 1937 George Orwell191 pages, including forward for members of the Left Book Club.  (My own copy: I adore tattered old paperbacks.)        I read this primarily for a European history class taught by … Continue reading →

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Off the Books

Posted on November 8, 2009 by smellincoffee

Off the Books: The Underground Economy of the Urban Poor© 2006 Sudhir Venkatesh426 pages In the spring, I read Sudhir Venkatesh’s Gang Leader for a Day, an analysis of gang life in one of Chicago’s more prominent street gangs, which … Continue reading →

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