eShop USA > Books > Crime and the American Dream (The Wadsworth Series in Criminological Theory)
Crime and the American Dream (The Wadsworth Series in Criminological Theory)
List Price: $48.95Price: $17.55 You Save: $31.40 (64%)Prices subject to change.
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 364.973
EAN: 9780534562779
Edition: 3
ISBN: 0534562779
Label: Wadsworth Publishing
Manufacturer: Wadsworth Publishing
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 144
Publication Date: December 05, 2000
Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing
Studio: Wadsworth Publishing
Related Items: Featured Listmania!
Editorial Review:
The foundation of this book is institutional anomie theory, an offshoot of strain theory. It explores why America's over-emphasis on the pursuit of materialistic gain contributes to the country's high rates of violent crime.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Same old content in a new box
"Crime and the American Dream" is a retread of the same old "Blame America First" argument that prevails in academia. No country on the planet has opportunities for upward mobility as those that exist in the USA. Envy, the desire for shortcuts and a "something for nothing" sense of entitlement did not originate in 1776. We have redefined poverty such that expensive sneakers, cell phones, and large screen TV's are seen as necessities. Want to see poverty that might actually drive people to crime, ... Read More
Rating:  - Intriguing hypothesis
This is certainly a worth-reading book. Its application of Durkheim's and Merton's anomie theory to the crime dynamics of American society is tightly reasoned and very appealing. The thesis that unusually high crime rates in the US are the dark side of the success promoted by the American ethos seems to account for many of the observed facts. The book follows an excellent logical development and provides appealing explanations for the etiology of the main American nightmare. Unfortunately, it ... Read More
Rating: - How True It Is
I was privileged to have Dr. Rosenfeld as a professor while majoring in criminology. I found his course and his research fascinating. This book is very well written and an interesting theory. Having recently become a public defender representing indigents charged with felony offenses, Dr. Rosenfeld's theory is right on the mark. American crime is a serious problem, with its roots deep in american culture and expectations. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in understanding ... Read More
Rating: - Interesting application of Anomie theory
This was a textbook in my university criminology class, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It applies the theory of anomic strain to the United States as a whole and proposes that it is the cause for crime and deviance. Many of the ideas and themes presented in it ring true with sentiments of Americans today, with the gap between the upper and lower class growing larger and larger.
Rating: - one of the best books on crime and society I've ever read
This book details a theory of crime in America as resulting from a pathological veneration of the value of success--absent a similar emphasis on the proper means to achieve the "American Dream." Criminologists, sociologists, and just about anybody with a social conscience would probably enjoy this well-written, accessible, and insightful look at crime in the country where the playing field isn't even, but where there is considerable equity in our expectation that everyone has the ability ... Read More
Related Categories:
|
