Unequal Childhoods

Class, Race, and Family Life, Second Edition, with an Update a Decade Later

By: Annette Lareau

Narrated by: Xe Sands

Class does make a difference in the lives and futures of American children. Drawing on in-depth observations of black and white middle-class, working-class, and poor families, Unequal Childhoods explores this fact, offering a picture of childhood today. Here are the frenetic families managing their children's hectic schedules of "leisure" activities; and here are families with plenty of time but little economic security. Lareau shows how middle-class parents, whether black or white, engage in a process of "concerted cultivation" designed to draw out children's talents and skills, while working-class and poor families rely on "the accomplishment of natural growth," in which a child's development unfolds spontaneously-as long as basic comfort, food, and shelter are provided.

©2003; revised 2011 Annette Lareau (P)2011 Tantor

Critic reviews

"A fascinating study." (Malcolm Gladwell)

Very informative book

I listened to this book after it was mentioned in the book Outliers by Malcom Gladwell. It makes a good argument for the invisible benefits of social class created by American society despite the contradictions to the core beliefs that make up the "American Dream" . I believe it indirectly shines a light on the "Rich getting richer and poor getting poorer" problem and even why it's been hard for minorities to overcome some of the hurdles to true racial equality.

The book can be dry at certains points but that's hard to avoid when you have a research based non-fictinal book.

Overall it is a good investment regardless of what your opinion may be at the end

Eye opening

You don’t really always think how childhood and parenting can be impacted back socio-economics factors. Raising a child in poverty and raising one in wealth breeds a different behavior along with racial factors

Essential reading for everyone

Illustrates the pros and cons of modern parenting strategies, as well as unexpected effects of cultural differences between lower and upper classes. These effects are not the only important factors people should be aware of - whether as parents, policy-makers, or mere voters - but Lareau illustrates why an important part of what Americans broadly accept as true is not actually true.

Masterful

Excellent observation and outstanding performance. It offers invaluable insight into American social classes and reveals how family resources shape children’s fate.

Perspective

My childhood upbringing is relatable socially and my development included. This book gave me a different perspective in life well my life. This book is a must read as it was recommended to me by a recovery addict. As I say that I am quite surprised he took the time to read it.

Great book on the intersection of Culture, Class, and Education

I had to read this book for my Graduate Sociology of Culture class. I enjoyed the book, definitely worth the read if you are in the field of education and/or sociology.

Excellent research, a bit tedious early kn

Annette Lareau’s Unequal Childhoods is one of the most closely observed and disciplined pieces of qualitative research I’ve read. The sheer depth of ethnographic detail is impressive—each family portrait is richly textured and vivid, revealing how class quietly, but profoundly, shapes the rhythms of daily life, from doctor’s visits to dinnertime to school interactions.

That said, I found the book’s heavy focus on “concerted cultivation” in the early chapters somewhat overstated. The concept itself is useful, but the framing can feel rigid at times—as if middle-class childrearing strategies were universally consistent and uniformly advantageous. The early chapters invest a lot in delineating this parenting style and contrasting it with the "accomplishment of natural growth" model used by working-class families. But in the end, the long-term significance of these styles seems more modest than Lareau initially implies.

What's also interesting is that class played a larger role than race in upbringing. Also, all parents, even poor, really cared about their children and tried to do their best with their means, limited or not.

In that regard, the 2011 afterword—added nearly a decade after the original publication—is perhaps the most revealing and worthwhile part of the book. It tracks the same children into young adulthood and provides a refreshingly nuanced reflection on how class advantage continues to manifest. It also includes some candid self-critique from Lareau, including regrets about not observing senior year of high school and reflections on how families responded to her portrayal of them.

For readers mostly interested in how class shapes life trajectories, I’d almost recommend starting with the 2011 afterword and then going back to earlier chapters as needed. The theoretical ideas come alive most clearly when viewed over time.

Despite its few limitations, Unequal Childhoods remains a solid piece of work that captures the mundane, powerful ways that privilege is transmitted.

Meh

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No. The data is repetitive and is written with a clear bias. While the information is important, it should be taken in from a different source.

Has Unequal Childhoods turned you off from other books in this genre?

Not at all.

What about Xe Sands’s performance did you like?

She was very easy to understand, reads at a good pace, and has a nice voice to listen to.