DirectoryBooksNewsletterAbout

Code of the Street: Decency, Violence, and the Moral Life of the Inner City

The SocioWeb » Books » Sociology Books » Code of the Street: Decency, Violence, and the Moral Life of the Inner City

Code of the Street: Decency, Violence, and the Moral Life of the Inner City

By: Elijah Anderson  

Buy it now at Amazon.com!

Lowest New Price: $8.89
List Price: $17.95

Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Description:
Inner-City Black America is often stereotyped as a place of random violence: in fact, violence in the inner city is regulated through an informal but well-known code of the street. How you dress, talk, and behave can have life-or-death consequences, with young people particularly at risk. This incisive book examines the code as a response to the lack of jobs that pay a living wage, to the stigma of race, to rampant drug use, to alienation and lack of hope. An individual's safety and sense of worth are determined by the respect he commands in public -- a deference frequently based on an implied threat of violence. Unfortunately, even those with higher aspirations can often become entangled in the code's self-destructive behaviors.

Description:
As sociologist Elijah Anderson shows in the detailed and devastating Code of the Street, the senseless crime in the inner city represents a complex, though ultimately self-defeating, set of social mores. These mores, called "codes," stress a hyperinflated sense of manhood through verbal boasts, drug selling, sexual prowess, and--ultimately--violence and death. "At the heart of the code is the issue of respect," Anderson writes, "loosely defined as being treated 'right' or being granted one's 'props' (or proper due) or the deference one deserves." Anderson reveals a world where unemployment is rampant, teenage pregnancy is common, and social and educational achievement is viewed as "acting white." Although Anderson states that racism is a major factor for this condition, he notes that this type of behavior is further exacerbated by modern economic and political forces, and that it has existed as far back as ancient Rome.

As an African American himself, Anderson moves through the middle- and lower-class Philadelphia neighborhoods with ease, interviewing a variety of subjects, all of whom deal daily with consequences of urban decay--from the high-achieving young woman who had to reject her poorer relatives to better herself, to the former delinquent who tries to go straight after returning from prison. For Anderson, these are the true heroes of Code of the Street: people who overcome the temptations of the streets to help create a better space for the next generation. --Eugene Holley Jr.

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company

Customer Review: 5 out of 5
An Interesting and Realistic Book - I'm not normally a fan of nonfiction but I really couldn't put this book down! Every section was authentic and interesting. It is another world.

Customer Review: 4 out of 5
Good stuff - I bought this book for an assignment and found that it was highly informative. I would suggest this book for anyone thinking about going into law enforcement or criminology.

Customer Review: 5 out of 5
A winner - Excellent book; I highly recommend. Extremely informative and insightful. A scholarly study written in plain language. It reveals the complexities of the subculture of street life and its terrorist rule in the neighborhoods it infiltrates. A must read for someone working in any aspect of criminal justice. - Corrections librarian.

Customer Review: 5 out of 5
A New Lens to See Through - I am so impressed with this book I can't believe it. Every page provided a new insight. As a white person I gained a whole new perspective on...well, everything, it seems like. Mr. Anderson does such a great job of giving an "inside look" into the inner city world, you really come away understanding a whole lot more.

I appreciated that Anderson laid the facts out without playing the blame game. His writing is objective but also compassionate; you can really see *individuals,* not just "black people." I closed the book thinking, "Well, I can't change everything, but with this knowledge I can sure make changes in myself, and at least that's a start." It takes a great book to provide that kind of power and inspiration. Just for that alone, I think every white person should read this book.

So, Bravo, Mr. Anderson! Please continue to write on the subject!

Customer Review: 4 out of 5
A very insightful book on inner city culture - This book is a study of inner city life in some of the really bad areas of Philadelphia. Its basic thesis is that the inner city culture is split between the majority who are decent and the large minority who are "street." He explains the origins and meaning of all of this very well.

A great strength of this book is how it takes you inside the head of the people it studies. He talks, for example, of the cruel contradiction that inner city boys are caught in. On the one side, if they do not wear gang clothing, and project "attitude" and "badness," they will be viewed as weak on the street, and may be physically attacked by others. On the other hand, if they do conform to street dress code, then both teachers and potential employers see them as gangters and refuse to help them get ahead. It is a double bind, in which children are forced to live in two cultures with contradictory values. As a result, as Anderson discusses, many kids learn to "code-switch" or act street on the street and white on the job. It is not easy to do, and it is not surprising that most can not do it well.

--> Find out more about "Code of the Street: Decency, Violence, and the Moral Life of the Inner City" at Amazon.com or Order Now