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Last Updated July 3, 2013
The Protestant Ethic Revisited was reviewed in the Summer 2013 issue of Sociology of Religion. The review read, "[A] gracefully executed book. Its author, Philip S. Gorski, is one of the most important voices in the historical sociology of religion today.... [Gorski] demonstrates an ability to furnish smooth presentations of dense historical data and lucid accounts of complex social processes.... Not only are some of the essays by now 'veritable classics'...their juxtaposition heightens the sense that the attentive reader derives of Gorski's project and the skill with which he has pursued it."
Three Recommended Titles in the July 2013 issue of CHOICE:
• The review of Free Time, by Benjamin Hunnicutt, read, "In his rather intriguing book, Hunnicutt examines the erosion of the pursuit of what today might be called 'quality time,' achieved by working just enough to provide basic sustenance.... Hunnicutt traces the ways in which various Americans sought to limit the hours people worked.... [He] concludes that with the post-WW II entrenchment of Franklin Roosevelt's 'Full-Time, Full-Employment' policy first introduced during the New Deal, and the increased commercialization and passivity of leisure, Americans have forgotten why and what they are working for. Summing Up: Recommended."
• The review of Accidental Immigrants and the Search for Home, by Carol Kelley, read, "This accessible study presents the immigrant narratives of four women who left their families and places of residence because of romance, adventure, or study opportunities in other countries. The book contributes to scholarship about home and homemaking through rich descriptions of the participants' complex and changing feelings about relationships with their families 'back home' and those with new partners, relations, and friends.... The author's use of a narrative approach to explore these women's choices underscores how complex, multidimensional, and occasionally contradictory migration decision making is.... [The] book is valuable in identifying the emotional and spiritual dimensions of seeking and finding 'home' elsewhere. Summing Up: Recommended."
• The review of No More Invisible Man, by Adia Harvey Wingfield, read, "What is unique about this book is the fact that very few studies focus on the issue of the black professional male across varied white-dominated professional spaces. Wingfield offers insight into the nuances involved in black male experiences at the professional level. Briefly, this study encapsulates how tricky it is to navigate the corridors of professional settings when confronted with age-old stereotypes. Summing Up: Recommended."
Last Updated June 27, 2013
The Archival Turn in Feminism by Kate Eichhorn was reviewed in Publishers Weekly on June 24. The review read, "Eichhorn chronicles complex issues and questions regarding the archiving of feminist materials, and, through three case studies, examines the content and value of specific feminist archives.... Along with profiles of the women who created these organizations, Eichhorn provides deeper analyses of topics ranging from questions of reconciliation that come with seeking establishment space for radical materials to the degree to which archives dispel myths.... Eichhorn answers the radical/establishment reconciliation question by pointing out how many conventional feminist archives have had unorthodox origins, and emphasizes that the archive is 'a potential site of resistance,'.... [T]he questions Eichhorn raises will deepen a necessary debate."
Three Essential and Highly Recommended Titles in the July 2013 issue of CHOICE:
• The review of Envisioning Emancipation by Deborah Willis and Barbara Krauthamer, read, "The authors have assembled and interpreted a treasure trove of historically situated photographs of African Americans from 1850 through the 1930s, organized around the themes of enslavement and emancipation.... Especially noteworthy are photographic representations of blacks after 1865, which disclose how free people wanted to be remembered. The essays exemplify the best practices for interpreting photographs as historical documents—first describing their formal content, then interpreting their meaning with insights from expertly chosen scholarly studies, and lastly speculating about the people in the images. This erudite book deserves a wide audience, not least of all for its beautifully crafted prose, high-quality reproductions, and relatively affordable price. Bravo! Summing Up: Essential."
• The review of Making Modern Love by Lisa Sigel, read, "Through an impressive and stimulating array of sources ranging from letters to Marie Stopes, readers' correspondence in the glamour and 'queer magazine' London Life, and court cases, historian Sigel charts the making of sexual identities in interwar Britain. Emphasizing the agency of individuals, Sigel convincingly makes the argument that sexology was less important than popular ephemera in the evolution and construction of personal sexual narratives and identities. In placing agency at the core of her argument, Sigel helpfully explores the processes of reading as individuals interpreted and folded popular sources into their own sexual stories.... Clear, accessible, and dispassionate, this book makes important interventions in queer scholarship and the study of sexual identities. Summing Up: Highly recommended."
• The review of A City within a City by Todd Robinson, read, "Focusing on Grand Rapids, Michigan, Robinson reveals how African Americans in this city fought against white racism in housing, education, economy, and other facets of black lives. Diary entries, published and unpublished documents of local and state organizations, local newspapers, and other sources enable a rich, deep investigation into the city's black history in the 20th century, especially the period between just before WW II and through the long civil rights era. Robinson's writing flows well and vividly captures the lives and struggles as well as the dignity of African Americans at the time. His work is not only a valuable addition to historical investigations of black Detroit and Michigan...but also the first quality scholarship on black Grand Rapids and one of the few urban history literatures on a secondary city. Summing Up: Highly recommended."
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