A New Look at Black Families

By (author) Charles V. Willie, Richard J. Reddick

Publication date:

16 February 2010

Length of book:

302 pages

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

ISBN-13: 9780742570078

Charles Willie and Richard Reddick's A New Look at Black Families has introduced thousands of students to the intricacies of the Black family in American society since its publication in 1976. Using a case study approach, Willie and Reddick show the varieties of the Black family experience and how those experiences vary by socioeconomic status. In addition to examining families of low-income, working, and middle classes, the authors also look to the family experiences of highly successful African Americans to try to identify the elements of the family environment leading to success. The authors puncture the myth of the Black matriarchy prevalent in the popular imagination; and they explore a variety of family configurations, including a family with same-gender parents. The sixth edition has been reorganized and updated throughout. The new Part III_Cases Against and for Black Men and Women_unites two chapters from previous editions into a cohesive discussion of stereotypes and misunderstandings from both scholars and the mass media. Also, a new chapter on the Obama family offers support for cross-gender and cross-racial mentoring, and it demonstrates the value of extended family relations.

Part 1 Conceptual Approach to the Study of Black Families
Chapter 2 1. Introduction
Chapter 3 2. Family Life and Social Stratification
Part 4 Analyses of Black Families by Social Class
Chapter 5 3. Middle-Class Black Families
Chapter 6 4. Working-Class Black Families
Chapter 7 5. Low-Income Black Families
Chapter 8 6. Social Classes and Family Adaptation: A Comparative Analysis
Part 9 Cases Against and For Black Men and Black Women
Chapter 10 7. The Case For and Against Black Males
Chapter 11 8. The Myth of the Black Matriarchy
Part 12 Alternative Pathways to Success
Chapter 13 9. Maternal Mentoring Models
Chapter 14 10. Paternal Mentoring Models
Chapter 15 11. Family Goals and Practices Among Same-Gender Parents
Chapter 16 12. The Egalitarian Family
Part 17 Black Families and the Social System
Chapter 18 13. Social and Economic Supports for Black Family Life
Chapter 19 14. The Complex and Interesting Family Life of Barack Obama: The First Black President of the United States
Part 20 Summary, Conclusions and References
Chapter 21 15. Summary and Conclusions

With a sensitive eye to the diversity of experiences that characterize African Americans, Willie and Reddick put to rest the stubbornly persistent notion of a single “black experience.” A book that does not shy away from either scholarly or policy controversies, A New Look at Black Families makes a valuable contribution to the national conversation on race.