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Rating: 
Summary: A good explanation of the decline of American cities
Review: In many circles, the most often given reasons for the decline of American cities are highways and tax-deductible mortgages. This book is good because it gives a much fuller picture of what really happened. Nobody wanted to live, or could live, in an integrated neighborhood. A conclusion I drew from this book was that the French (who usually annoy me) handled their urban problems much better than we did. Instead of dropping housing projects in the middle of cities where the projects slowly-but-surely eroded the surrounding urban fabric, the French located their projects outside of cities, where no preexisting neighborhoods were affected. Even though projects there are as bad as projects here, at least no one was displaced. The biggest thing this book is missing is an epilogue. Published in 1985, the book is kinda dated.
Rating:
Summary: A good explanation of the decline of American cities
Review: This case study of Canarsie New York and the 1970's shows vividly how racism is not always a product of distant media stereotypes, but rather real day to day contacts between the races. Professor Rieder, who was my professor last year while I attended Columbia, clearly indicates how liberals, and especially the liberal elites failed. The limosine liberals on the upper east side would vote for school busing in the abstract because they did not have to deal with the consequences. THose lower-middle class whites who saw blacks moving in and property values declines became resently towards the liberal estabilshment. It was these former new deal Democrats who switched to Ronald Reagan in 1980 and, who before that, provded Nixon a great percentage of his "silent majority." As a liberal, and a rich one at that, it made me think of the impact that liberal policies have on the ground.
Rating:
Summary: How liberals turned conservative
Review: This case study of Canarsie New York and the 1970's shows vividly how racism is not always a product of distant media stereotypes, but rather real day to day contacts between the races. Professor Rieder, who was my professor last year while I attended Columbia, clearly indicates how liberals, and especially the liberal elites failed. The limosine liberals on the upper east side would vote for school busing in the abstract because they did not have to deal with the consequences. THose lower-middle class whites who saw blacks moving in and property values declines became resently towards the liberal estabilshment. It was these former new deal Democrats who switched to Ronald Reagan in 1980 and, who before that, provded Nixon a great percentage of his "silent majority." As a liberal, and a rich one at that, it made me think of the impact that liberal policies have on the ground.
Rating: 
Summary: A great study of the role of race, class and culture
Review: This is, to say the least, one of the greatest books ever published in regard to the recent political change we have seen. What is it that has led some former left-wing liberal New Deal Democrats to turn into conservative Democrats - and on occasion Republicans - who backed Reagan and Bush and bucked President Carter and pro-union Democrat Walter Mondale? This book points at the issue of the "culture war" in regard to race and ethnicity. The author points at every issue which the Republican Right has used - crime, "welfare," government waste, etc. - and how it all points back toward the issue of race. The author is right in his declaration that liberalism and progressivism must begin to take the wishes and dreams of working class white families seriously - as well as their sympathies. Racism is, obviously, wrong and immoral. Yet, liberals and Democrats must begin to listen to why people give in to right wing racism. If they do, then they will hear the wishes and concerns of the white working class and can begin to form an inclusive and truly compassion answer to these problems, without the scowl of Pat Buchana, Ronald Reagan, Barry Goldwater or George Bush. Problems - even the racist fears of whites - can be solved in a compassionate manner. Nay, they must be solved in such a manner. Yes, it is true that most working class folks - even white ones - are self described Democrats. How can't they be? Yet, it is true that on occasion may drift from the party of FDR and unto the right for certain candidates. Why? Racial fears. Progressives must learn to prevent this. This book shows us how we can.
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