America at Risk

America at Risk is the culmination of two lifetimes of rigorous research and nuanced thought about the multiplex crises facing the United States today. As Perrucci and Perrucci fit together the jigsaw pieces of the socio-economic devastation we are now facing, a portrait emerges of the policies that set in motion the fast-acting processes that have robbed our society of its economic vitality. In developing this portrait they direct our attention to perhaps the most dire consequence of this decay—the severe erosion of hope, trust, and caring at the ground level, among our ordinary citizens." -- Michael Schwartz
Hope, trust, and caring—three indispensable ingredients for a secure and democratic society. Perrucci and Perrucci argue that these ingredients have been eroded by institutional restructuring and an ever-growing cultural crisis over the last thirty years. Analyzing employment, educational, community, and familial experiences as they vary by class, race, age, and gender, America at Risk proposes an agenda to place hope, trust, and caring at the center of social life. It is highly readable and accessible. -- Vicki Smith, University of California, Davis
This book sharply examines employment, educational, community, and familial experiences as they vary across race, age, class, gender and geographic location. Illustrative, eye-opening facts and figures abound . . .Books like America at Risk , while certainly not pretending to have all the answers to society's ills, can aid in starting a dialogue, if not actually getting things moving forward. * Tilth Creative Collaborative, November 20, 2009 *
The many volumes that Robert Perrucci and Carolyn Perrucci have written over the past decades on plant closings, class inequality, work, women, and the family have culminated in this impressive book emphasizing the social consequences of the deindustrializating economy of the United States....America at Risk is clear and concise, providing essential information without overloading. * Contemporary Sociology *
Impressive book. . . . The Perruccis use their critical sociological perspective to extend an analysis of not just the economic crisis itself, but how that crisis has led to a cultural and institutional crossroads.. . . . America at Risk argues for the recognition of the most compelling racial grievances and a program focused on the "class politics.". . . . America at Risk will find an audience within the academy as a framework for sociologists and public policy experts researching which features of the current economic crisis will significantly shape popular perceptions around hope, trust, and caring....America at Risk is clear and concise, providing essential information without overloading. -- Clarence Y.H. Lo * Contemporary Sociology, May 7 2010 *
Essential reading for the new Obama Administration and for all Americans in the current crisis. This book connects the breakdown in trust with the corporate global policies that have stripped Americans of their jobs and dreams. The Perruccis exemplify the sociological imagination we need for the 21st century. -- Charles Derber, Boston College; author of Welcome to the Revolution: Universalizing Resistance for Social Justice and Democracy in Perilous Times